1. The KKE, from the very first moment, denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine and expressed its solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

For at least a decade now, the people of Ukraine have been paying the price for the competition and interventions over the division of markets and spheres of influence between on the one hand the USA, NATO, and the EU and the strategy of “Euro-Atlantic enlargement” and on the other hand the strategy of the capitalist Russian Federation for its own exploitative plans against the peoples, aiming to strengthen its own imperialist coalition (Eurasian Economic Union, Collective Security Treaty Organization) in the former USSR region.

The Russian military intervention in essence marks the formal beginning of a war that has been prepared by a powder keg that has been storing up over time. The focus is set on the division of mineral wealth, energy, land, workforce, pipelines, commodity transport networks, geopolitical mainstays, and market shares.

For years now, the USA, NATO, and the EU have been systematically attempting and promoting the economic, political, and military encirclement of Russia by intervening, deploying powerful military forces, and establishing the bases of death, adding fuel to the fire.

After the Warsaw Pact was broken, NATO not only did not dissolve or become limited but, on the contrary, it has been enlarged, including in its ranks other Eastern European countries and former Soviet Republics. It stations military forces, bases, and modern weapons in various regions around Russia. For years now, military plans, drills and exercises targeting Russia are taking place in the North Sea, in Eastern Europe, in the Black Sea, and the Baltic.

These latest developments are the most recent incident of a long-term confrontation about Ukraine. It is also related to fierce competition within the Ukrainian bourgeoisie, which was formed after the overthrow of socialism over whether the country would join one or the other imperialist alliance. In the framework of this confrontation, on the one hand, the USA, NATO, and the EU together with sections of the Ukrainian bourgeoisie supported and organized the “Orange Revolution” in 2004 as well as the bloody coup in 2014, utilizing and supporting far-right fascist forces aiming to establish a friendly regime. On the other hand, Russia seized parts of the Ukrainian territory by annexing Crimea and supporting Russian-speaking separatists in the Donbas region for its own interests, recognizing their state entity shortly before its intervention.

2. These events, which are unfolding 30 years after the overthrow of socialism and the dissolution of the USSR, are tragic and concrete proof of the historic setback that took place in early 1990. This momentous setback for the peoples of the region but also the working class and the popular forces around the world opened the Pandora’s box.

The KKE had assessed and was tragically confirmed that the capitalist restoration, among other things, would lead to the division of peoples and states, as in the case of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, due to the competition among the bourgeoisie over the control of markets, raw materials, geostrategic positions, and transport routes.

The bourgeois classes and the capitalists that emerged in the course of capitalist restoration, stealing the hard-won achievements by the united Soviet people over decades, were formed through this process of counter-revolution. The governments of Putin in Russia and Zelenskiy in Ukraine express those capitalists. That is why, despite their differences and rivalries, they concur in anti-communism, in the falsification of history, in slandering the Soviet Union, in strengthening nationalism (both Russian and Ukrainian), and in silencing the common interests of workers and the people. The invocation of anti-fascism by current capitalist Russia in order to advance its geopolitical plans in the region is pretextual and is taking advantage of the strong anti-fascist sentiment of the Russian people and all the peoples who suffered millions of dead in the struggle against the fascist–Nazi German occupation and atrocity. We do not forget that capitalist Russia itself, which is at the front line of anti-communism today, maintains friendly relations with far-right groups in many countries and that Russia’s leadership publicly praises the ideologists of Russian fascism. At the same time, we do not forget that in 2014 fascist–far-right forces unleashed a pogrom of violence and intimidation, murders, and massacres —such as in Odesa— in Ukraine, with the support of NATO and the EU. Today, those forces are part of the state apparatus of Ukraine and are involved in crimes in Russian-speaking regions and against Greek expatriates.

The peoples of Ukraine and Russia, like the other peoples of the region, had been living and fighting together for 70 years; they prevailed and established their own power, they fought against imperialist interventions, they strove to utilize the land, factories, and the wealth of their subsoil and waters under relations of social ownership, they fought against the hatred and war of their old exploiters who sabotaged the steps made by the Soviet Power, they advanced together in the framework of socialism, they jointly fought against Nazism–fascism and German imperialism. The nationalist hysteria of war cries must not obscure the collective memory of the two peoples, who had been living in brotherhood for decades.

30 years after the overthrow of socialism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, all those who celebrated and promised a world of peace, security, freedom, and justice have been completely refuted. Their world, the infamous “world of Western values” is a world of barbarity, exploitation, war, refugees, economic crises, hundreds of thousands of victims due to the pandemic or military interventions; it is a world of monsters, that is, capitalism. People such as Biden, Scholz, Putin, Zelenskiy, etc are part of this world, together with all the “authoritarian” and “democrat” ones who defend the freedom of the few to determine the fate of the many and constitute different aspects of the dictatorship of capital.

3. The imperialist war that is being waged in Ukraine today is nothing more than another link in this bloody chain of wars and rivalries that escalated particularly after 1991, losing their former ideological mantle that ostensibly defended the “Western free world” from “communist totalitarianism”. The new element here is that now they are re-expanding into European soil since the socialist shield no longer exists.

We do not forget the wars in Yugoslavia at the beginning of 1990, which began with the European Union’s seal of approval and led to the intervention of NATO in 1999, resulting in the final dismemberment of the country and its fragmentation. The pretexts used back then by NATO and the EU are the same as the ones used by Russia for its own military intervention, such as “the protection from ethnic cleansing” and “the right to self-determination”. The wounds in the Balkans are still open and there are great risks for new upheavals and confrontations.

We do not forget the imperialist interventions and wars in our neighbourhood, in the Middle East and North Africa region, in Iraq, in Syria, in Libya, and Afghanistan as well as the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine. The USA, NATO, and their allies have dragged the peoples into civil wars, triggered ethnic and religious conflicts, intervened militarily, established occupation armies in the name of “democracy” and “freedom”, led entire countries to chaos, gave rise to and reinforced reactionary forces, jihadists, and others.

Let us not forget the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus since 1974, which was backed by the USA and NATO, this ongoing crime against the Cypriot people, and the various NATO-inspired plans that all these years have been pushing towards the partition of the island.

“Revisionism”, the dispute of sovereign rights, the redrawing of borders, and the dissolution of states are not a privilege of one or another imperialist centre. All of them revise international treaties, dispute borders, and intervene militarily under various pretexts when dictated by their interests. The basis of “revisionism” is competition among imperialist centres. They even trample on some formal provisions of International Law, which were the result of the influence of the socialist states after the Second World War. It is clearly demonstrated that in reality International Law is the law of “Might makes right”, i.e. the law of the ones who retain the economic, political, and military power to impose their interests. Even their representatives admit this fact, forced to support one or the other side, highlighting ambiguities and vagueness. Notions claiming that there can be a peaceful world with a different “international architecture”, “NATO without offensive equipment”, “a pro-peace EU”, or “a creative multipolar world” in the framework of the modern capitalist world are unrealistic and pull the wool over the peoples’ eyes.

4. The EU is not sitting on the fence as regards the developments but has been actively involved in imperialist interventions for years now and, in this case, in the plan to encircle Russia. It is an accomplice in the tragedy currently faced by the peoples in Ukraine. The contradictions within it all the previous years concerning its stance towards Russia reflect the different objectives and priorities of the bourgeoisie of each country and are related to the strong economic ties with Russia, particularly in sectors such as energy. The formation of a united stance against Russia after the beginning of the war, about which ND, SYRIZA, KINAL, and the other bourgeois parties are celebrating in our country, on the one hand, does not mean that these contradictions have been resolved and on the other hand is a “unity” which turns against the peoples because it is a unity for war preparation that is putting the peoples of the EU at great risks.

No one can sleep soundly when the leaders of EU states and EU officials daily make war declarations. Thirty years after the Maastricht Treaty, their masks slip even more manifestly, the pretexts disappear, “taboos are overcome” as they cynically admit, and the true nature of the EU is revealed: it is a reactionary imperialist alliance among predators who are fighting against one another and all collectively against the peoples.

In this process, once again in history, the social-democratic governments are at the forefront, dispelling the myth of “progressive governments” that would supposedly be an alternative for the peoples.

The German Social Democrats, who announced an enormous armament programme for the first time since the Second World War, the Socialists in Spain and Portugal, the centre-left government in Italy, and the Social Democrats in Denmark and Finland are leading the military confrontation with Russia. Their decisions to increase military expenditure in all EU and NATO member states and to loosen even strict financial conditions of European budgets for this cause obviously did not occur solely as a result of the developments in Ukraine. They reveal a general preparation, they signal that we are entering a period of a more violent conflict regarding contradictions and competition.

The military conflict in Ukraine fuels dangerous developments for the peoples of Europe and around the world following the Russian invasion, as imperialist competition is entering a new phase. The danger of a more generalized military confrontation is more evident than ever. The war declarations of the EU political leaderships, of NATO member countries, and Russia as well as the threats of nuclear strikes should not be simply considered as inflammatory rhetoric.

For the first time, NATO is deploying its Response Force in Eastern Europe and amasses even more military forces, while it plans to approach countries such as Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, and Sweden. There are territories in Moldova and Georgia, whose secession was supported by Russia, where the presence of Russian military forces is strong. Finland and Sweden are included in Russia’s red line as regards the further enlargement of NATO. In Russia, the “nuclear deterrence forces” were put on a special mode of combat readiness. Belarus held a referendum approving the possibility of installing nuclear weapons on its territory in case NATO installs similar weapons in Poland or Lithuania.

5. Under the responsibility of the ND government and the consent of SYRIZA, KINAL, and the other bourgeois parties, Greece is escalating its involvement in this dangerous imperialist competition. All the previous governments had already supported all NATO decisions and plans regarding the expansion of this murderous organization and the encirclement of Russia. In addition to the Souda base, they had already launched the installation of new US–NATO bases in the country, such as that of Alexandroupolis, Larissa, and Stefanovikeio, which are already been utilized as a transport and deployment hub of military forces to Eastern Europe. They had already contributed to turning Greece into a perpetrator against other countries and the Greek people into a victim as the country has automatically become a target of possible retaliation. The people are already paying heavy taxation for armaments, which address NATO needs, and are faced with high prices, the increase in fuel prices, and energy poverty.

In a war frenzy of the Prime Minister, the Greek government not only announced the decision to transfer military equipment to Ukraine, but also unequivocally declared its intention to drag the country and the people into the maelstrom of a military conflict on the side of NATO and the EU, providing any assistance requested. Greece’s involvement in the war is direct and the danger for the Greek people, in case of its generalization, is more than real.

The arguments and pretexts used by the government to justify this choice are dangerous and misleading and must be rejected.

It is a lie that “we will fight for freedom”. In reality, we will fight on the side of one camp of thieves against another, competing over who will obtain a bigger share of the looting of the Ukrainian people and the other peoples in the region.

It is a lie that through our involvement we “support the Ukrainian people”. We support those who, for years now, have been leading them to havoc and destruction; those who turned them into a punching bag in the confrontation with Russia to serve their own interests.

It is a lie that “we fight against ‘revisionism’” because the greatest ‘revisionists’ are our NATO and EU allies, who do not hesitate to intervene militarily to dissolve countries and redraw borders, exactly like Russia is doing in Ukraine.

It is a lie that we are “shielding from the Turkish threat” because NATO itself encourages Turkish disputes and ‘revisionism’. NATO does not recognize sovereign rights and borders but only “NATO territory”, pushes towards dangerous arrangements in the Aegean and elsewhere, and gives top priority to keeping Turkey in the NATO camp come hell or high water, especially now in conditions of serious escalation.

It is a lie that the involvement constitutes a “new opportunity” for the people, exactly like the false promises that the people would have opportunities as they exit the crisis and the pandemic. The plans to enhance Greece and turn it into a hub for the US energy plans drag the country even deeper to the epicentre of competition, at the same time that the real beneficiaries will be the business groups and not the people. Besides, the people of Ukraine today pay the toll for the “objectives” of their bourgeoisie with their own blood.

Our people will be once again called upon to pay the price! They will face the risks and threats posed to their lives and sovereign rights by the involvement in the war in a variety of respects; they will make heavy sacrifices for the sake of war preparation; they will be faced with the surge of the already high prices in a series of consumer goods, with even deeper energy poverty, and new blows against their rights and needs, in order to increase NATO expenditure accompanying the doctrine that “the highest priority is the defence of the country”.

The individual exceptions and concerns expressed by SYRIZA are pretexts used to maintain the facade of an alternative, more pro-peace stance. Its previous anti-popular practice confirms that if it were in government, it would follow the path of its like-minded role models, of the “progressives” and “social democrats”, who, from the US Democrats to the Socialists in Spain, are at the forefront of military preparations around the world!

It bears heavy responsibilities towards our people. Not only because when in government it was at the forefront of the country’s involvement in NATO plans (it established new bases, enhanced the old ones, advanced the Strategic Partnership with the USA, led in the NATO-backed Prespa agreement, etc). Not only because it reproduces the pretexts and conceals the responsibilities of NATO–the EU for the war in Ukraine. But also because today, it essentially consents to all involvement objectives put forward by the ND government, only setting out some individual conditions, agreeing with the military intervention providing that it bears a clearer NATO or EU stamp of approval, agreeing with the energy plans providing that the pace of their materialization is slower, agreeing with NATO armaments providing that they “are transparent”, and agreeing with the new popular sacrifices providing that they take place on the basis of consensus!

100 years after the Asia Minor Disaster, our people shall not forget the historical conclusions. They have paid for all the “Great Ideas” of the capital and the big business groups, and they have been stabbed in the back by their imperialist allies at the most critical moment. The people faced the consequences of those disasters. The price for their participation in the imperialist First World War and the Southern Russia intervention was the calamities and uprooting suffered by thousands of Greek refugees from Asia Minor.

That is why the Greek people must reject the siren voices of war propaganda preparing for war and deeper entanglement, the advocates of NATO and the EU, the fake news flooding the mass media and the Internet, the anti-Russian hysteria that even has reached the point of demonizing cultural products, and the attempt to silence every voice that refuses to reproduce the narrative of the Euro-Atlantic staffs.

6. True solidarity with the peoples of Ukraine, Russia, and the other neighbouring peoples means struggling against imperialist war, against any involvement of each country in it. It means condemning Russia’s military intervention but also the USA–NATO–the EU that fuel war. It means struggling against imperialist unions behind which the bourgeoisie of our country and its governments are aligned. It means genuine, humane popular solidarity, which can be expressed in a multifaceted way. It means the opposition to and the isolation of the activity of nationalist fascist groups that incite hatred.

It means fighting to coordinate the peoples’ struggle so that they can show the way out from war, by targeting their true opponents; by organizing their struggle against imperialist war and the causes that give rise to it, the bourgeois classes that wage it and their governments, the imperialist alliances that drag us to war or impose “peace” holding a gun to the peoples’ head.

It means expressing solidarity with and supporting the thousands of refugees who are currently fleeing from Ukraine due to the war and travel to other EU states, including our country, and are facing the well-known cruel fate that awaits them, as in the case of other peoples who fell victim to imperialist wars despite “humanitarian declarations”.

The peoples will not live a better life by choosing a national or some other type of exploiter, but only by defeating and abolishing the system of exploitation.

That is the path for the peoples to emerge victorious.

Today, the KKE addresses workers, young men and women, the self-employed, farmers, women, the entire Greek people.

It calls them to be vigilant in the face of imperialist war and Greece’s involvement.

A response in favour of our people's interests cannot be found in allying ourselves with one or the other imperialist pole.

We refuse to choose a camp between thieves!

The people must reject the false dilemma between the USA and Russia, EU and Russia, or NATO and Russia. The real dilemma arises: Should one be on the side on the peoples or the imperialists?

The workers’–people’s struggle can and must chart an independent line, away from all bourgeois and imperialist plans.

This struggle has nothing to do with the wish lists and platitudes used by the other parties, talking about a “pro-peace solution”, “diplomacy”, and other nice-sounding words that do not target the causes of war.

Today, the people must not accept to pay the price for the war! It is not their bounden duty! They must not compromise with the new anti-popular burden and measures that are being prepared in the name of extraordinary needs. The only solution is the workers’–people's regroupment for counter-attack.

The people's struggle must immediately oblige any kind of government to take measures defending the workers’–people’s income from high prices and energy poverty.

To abolish taxes on fuels and other basic consumer goods.

To raise wages, to secure Collective Labour Agreements, to protect labour rights, to take measures for pensioners and the unemployed.

To take measures against the consequences of the sanctions against Russia that will first and foremost affect farmers and the self-employed.

To highlight the potential and necessity to utilize the totality of domestic energy resources (lignite, hydrocarbons, geothermal energy, renewable energy sources) aimed at the comprehensive meeting of popular needs (reduction of energy dependency, abolition of energy poverty, protection of the environment) based on social ownership and central planning. To strengthen the struggle so that energy, food, and labour power itself stop being a commodity.

We must organize the struggle in every region and workplace, demanding the immediate disengagement from all sides in this imperialist war.

• Greece’s participation and involvement in imperialist war in Ukraine or elsewhere done by any means and under any pretext, must immediately stop.
• All NATO and US military bases in our country used as a launching pad for war must be immediately closed down.
• No Greek military corps must be sent to Ukraine, to countries bordering on it, or any other imperialist missions. No conscripts, officers, and junior officers must be sent abroad. The transfer of military equipment and means through Greece must stop.

It is our patriotic and internationalist duty to prevent the use of Greek soil, infrastructure, and means as military bridgeheads of any part.

The Armed Forces of the country have nothing to do in missions abroad in the name of “obligations to our allies”. They have a duty to protect the borders and the territorial integrity of our country, our sovereign rights.

This is a political issue demanding a shift in the consciousness of the workers’– people’s forces in order to strengthen the struggle for disengagement from various imperialist unions, NATO, and the EU, with the people truly at the helm of power.

The war waged by imperialism and caused by competition among imperialist centres and alliances for the division of markets, land, wealth-producing resources and for supremacy in the imperialist system is unjust and barbaric, turning the peoples into victims no matter what the outcome of a war is.

A just struggle is the multifaceted peoples’ struggle against imperialist encirclement and invasion, against the participation of the people’s children in imperialist war.

A just struggle is the peoples’ struggle to defend territorial integrity against foreign occupation.

A just struggle is the multifaceted struggle for the peoples’ rights and needs, in the path for the overthrow of bourgeois power, for a new socialist society.

That is the path we must follow to put an end to imperialist wars, capitalist exploitation, and barbarity, for brotherhood among the peoples.

That is the path highlighting the real prospect so that the peoples can live in peace, security, friendship, and mutually beneficial relations, in the same way that the peoples of Russia and Ukraine had been living for decades, when they held power, they possessed the wealth they produced, and were building a new socialist society.

That is the “right side of history” for the Greek people, for the peoples all over the world!

The KKE wages this struggle with all its might so that the Greek and the other peoples struggle against nationalism and the imperialist alliances of the bourgeois classes, in order to strengthen the joint struggle of the workers and dispose of the system that only gives rise to poverty, exploitation, and war.

The CC of the KKE

9/3/2022