We urge support for the peace proposals now being discussed by Ukrainian President Zelensky and his Russian counterparts in the current peace talks. The war has been devastating. The loss of life among Ukrainian civilians has been horrific and so too has the deaths among Ukrainian and Russian troops, many of whom are conscripts.

President Zelensky has outlined the two most essential conditions of peace: that the invading Russian troops withdraw from Ukraine and that the Ukraine will become a neutral country, not a member of NATO. These terms are the basis of an agreement, according to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

We welcome these developments as the necessary first steps to ending the bloodshed, allowing refugees to return to their homes, and ending the economic damage being done to the livelihoods of ordinary working people both in the combatant states are around the globe.

We urge the British government to set aside all belligerent language and to encourage the participants in the peace talks to negotiate an immediate ceasefire followed by a full and lasting peace.