Southwest Virginia residents protest U.S. and NATO involvement in Russia-Ukraine conflict

SALEM, Va. (WDBJ) - A handful of Southwest Virginia residents gathered at Salem’s World War I Memorial Sunday afternoon to protest U.S. and NATO involvement in the war in Ukraine.

“Southwest Virginia Citizens for Peace in Ukraine” gathered to call on a cease fire and for Russian troops to withdraw from Ukraine. But they are also calling on the U.S. and NATO countries to end the conflict diplomatically.

They say NATO has fueled the fire in recent years leading up to the Russian invasion. The are calling on President Joe Biden to turn his focus back to issues in America, instead of the Ukraine conflict.

“Citizens need to stand up now and demand that the bottom line is peace in Europe now, and make the concessions that we need to make. Like admitting that it was wrong to expand NATO, and give Russia some guarantees that it can live with, and that we can live with, so that this war does not explode into a worldwide conflagration,” said Cynthia Munley.

The group hopes to continue calling on the U.S. government to shift its focus back home and plans to have future protests on the Ukraine conflict.

You can find a full press release from the group below:

“We offer:

1. A narrative for the genesis of the Ukraine War aligned with views of experts that warned (following President Bill Clinton’s expansion of NATO) that such expansion could result in Ukraine’s destruction now occurring.

2. This war was avoidable. It is a tragic war of choice provoked by NATO’s two-decade steady advancement. While amassing troops within Russia on its border. Russia clearly communicated that NATO’s imminent expansion into Ukraine was an unacceptable “red line.” Nevertheless, the press adopts Washington’s line of cluelessness and “unprovoked.”

3. How this war could have been prevented and what actions could possibly stop it even now.

4.. The U.S. press is failing to play an objective role, failing to dig for the truth and parrots talking points right from Washington

Southwest Virginia Citizens for Peace in Ukraine push back against the U.S. claim that Russia’s current brutal attack against Ukraine was “unprovoked.” NATO is guided by the U.S. national security “apparatus” which is unelected and cares neither to prevent Ukrainian death and destruction nor for Biden to fulfill his own campaign promises and/or domestic agenda.

We citizens for Ukraine Peace call on President Biden to prioritize his agenda to “Build Back Better, lead the fight against global warming, reject the unfair machinations of the U.S. security hawks, make diplomatic efforts to stop the bloodshed now.

We call on fellow SW Virginians to join us in demanding immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and our other calls.”

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