SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks in front of a live video feed showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 5, 2022 in London. (Photo: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
Anti-War Coalition Warns New UK Rockets Will Only 'Prolong the Misery' in Ukraine
The Stop the War Coalition said the British government should be demanding "a ceasefire and the recommencement of peace talks," not arming Ukraine with long-range rockets.
Jun 06, 2022
An anti-war coalition based in the United Kingdom warned Monday that the British government's decision to follow in the Biden administration's footsteps and supply Ukraine with longer-range rocket systems risks extending--and potentially intensifying--Russia's deadly war.
The move, announced Monday by U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, could usher in "a wider and still worse conflict," said Andrew Murray, deputy president of the Stop the War Coalition.
"Sending in such long-range missiles risks escalating the conflict."
The U.K. "should change course and start pushing for a ceasefire and peace talks," Murray added.
The Guardian reported that "like the U.S., the U.K. has sought assurances from Kyiv that the [rocket systems] would not be used to strike targets within Russia."
The British government's decision was made public just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Russian forces would target "objects that we haven't yet struck" if Western governments arm Ukraine with long-range missile systems, a warning that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed on Monday.
Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would send Ukraine the Lockheed Martin-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which can strike targets roughly 50 miles away.
The M270 weapon system that the British government is set to deliver has about the same range. In a statement, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said the "cutting edge" multiple-launch rocket systems "can strike targets up to 80km away with pinpoint accuracy" and "will offer a significant boost in capability for the Ukrainian forces."
But the Stop the War Coalition--which has characterized Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the West's response as an increasingly dangerous proxy conflict between nuclear-armed states--argued that sending such artillery to Ukrainian forces "will only prolong the misery of the war."
"Sending in such long-range missiles risks escalating the conflict," the coalition said. "Vladimir Putin has threatened that Russia would retaliate by striking new targets in Ukraine."
Far from encouraging a diplomatic resolution to Russia's invasion--which reached the 100-day mark last week--U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to abandon peace talks with Moscow during a visit to Kyiv in April.
Having made tenuous progress up to that point, diplomatic negotiations fell completely apart shortly after Johnson's trip as Russia ramped up its assault on eastern Ukraine.
"Rather than sending extra missiles to Ukraine, which is already awash with foreign artillery, the government should be urging for a ceasefire and the recommencement of peace talks," the Stop the War Coalition said Monday. "We continue to call on the British government to stop fueling the escalation of conflict in Ukraine and demand that it calls for a negotiated peace immediately."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
An anti-war coalition based in the United Kingdom warned Monday that the British government's decision to follow in the Biden administration's footsteps and supply Ukraine with longer-range rocket systems risks extending--and potentially intensifying--Russia's deadly war.
The move, announced Monday by U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, could usher in "a wider and still worse conflict," said Andrew Murray, deputy president of the Stop the War Coalition.
"Sending in such long-range missiles risks escalating the conflict."
The U.K. "should change course and start pushing for a ceasefire and peace talks," Murray added.
The Guardian reported that "like the U.S., the U.K. has sought assurances from Kyiv that the [rocket systems] would not be used to strike targets within Russia."
The British government's decision was made public just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Russian forces would target "objects that we haven't yet struck" if Western governments arm Ukraine with long-range missile systems, a warning that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed on Monday.
Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would send Ukraine the Lockheed Martin-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which can strike targets roughly 50 miles away.
The M270 weapon system that the British government is set to deliver has about the same range. In a statement, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said the "cutting edge" multiple-launch rocket systems "can strike targets up to 80km away with pinpoint accuracy" and "will offer a significant boost in capability for the Ukrainian forces."
But the Stop the War Coalition--which has characterized Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the West's response as an increasingly dangerous proxy conflict between nuclear-armed states--argued that sending such artillery to Ukrainian forces "will only prolong the misery of the war."
"Sending in such long-range missiles risks escalating the conflict," the coalition said. "Vladimir Putin has threatened that Russia would retaliate by striking new targets in Ukraine."
Far from encouraging a diplomatic resolution to Russia's invasion--which reached the 100-day mark last week--U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to abandon peace talks with Moscow during a visit to Kyiv in April.
Having made tenuous progress up to that point, diplomatic negotiations fell completely apart shortly after Johnson's trip as Russia ramped up its assault on eastern Ukraine.
"Rather than sending extra missiles to Ukraine, which is already awash with foreign artillery, the government should be urging for a ceasefire and the recommencement of peace talks," the Stop the War Coalition said Monday. "We continue to call on the British government to stop fueling the escalation of conflict in Ukraine and demand that it calls for a negotiated peace immediately."
An anti-war coalition based in the United Kingdom warned Monday that the British government's decision to follow in the Biden administration's footsteps and supply Ukraine with longer-range rocket systems risks extending--and potentially intensifying--Russia's deadly war.
The move, announced Monday by U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, could usher in "a wider and still worse conflict," said Andrew Murray, deputy president of the Stop the War Coalition.
"Sending in such long-range missiles risks escalating the conflict."
The U.K. "should change course and start pushing for a ceasefire and peace talks," Murray added.
The Guardian reported that "like the U.S., the U.K. has sought assurances from Kyiv that the [rocket systems] would not be used to strike targets within Russia."
The British government's decision was made public just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Russian forces would target "objects that we haven't yet struck" if Western governments arm Ukraine with long-range missile systems, a warning that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed on Monday.
Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would send Ukraine the Lockheed Martin-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which can strike targets roughly 50 miles away.
The M270 weapon system that the British government is set to deliver has about the same range. In a statement, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said the "cutting edge" multiple-launch rocket systems "can strike targets up to 80km away with pinpoint accuracy" and "will offer a significant boost in capability for the Ukrainian forces."
But the Stop the War Coalition--which has characterized Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the West's response as an increasingly dangerous proxy conflict between nuclear-armed states--argued that sending such artillery to Ukrainian forces "will only prolong the misery of the war."
"Sending in such long-range missiles risks escalating the conflict," the coalition said. "Vladimir Putin has threatened that Russia would retaliate by striking new targets in Ukraine."
Far from encouraging a diplomatic resolution to Russia's invasion--which reached the 100-day mark last week--U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to abandon peace talks with Moscow during a visit to Kyiv in April.
Having made tenuous progress up to that point, diplomatic negotiations fell completely apart shortly after Johnson's trip as Russia ramped up its assault on eastern Ukraine.
"Rather than sending extra missiles to Ukraine, which is already awash with foreign artillery, the government should be urging for a ceasefire and the recommencement of peace talks," the Stop the War Coalition said Monday. "We continue to call on the British government to stop fueling the escalation of conflict in Ukraine and demand that it calls for a negotiated peace immediately."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.