NATO & Ukraine
The crisis in Ukraine is fast escalating into a civil and proxy war.  Over 50 died after Ukrainian soldiers attacked protestors occupying administrative buildings, most of them pro-Russian separatists. In the bloodiest incident, more than 30 people were killed in Odessa when neo-Nazis set fire to a trade union building.

Meanwhile the escalation is heating up at an international level too. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has said that the UK is considering requests for equipment from the Ukrainian military. And NATO’s top commander, General Breedlove is considering stationing permanent troops in Eastern Europe. Even the German Foreign Minister recognises the danger: ‘we are not far from a military confrontation’. See John Pilger’s latests analysis of the situation.

The protests against the NATO summit in Wales on 30th and 31st August are crucial in this context. Stop the War is organising a series of public meetings on NATO and Ukraine in the coming weeks and months (more details TBA). We are also in the process of setting up a Downing Street petition demanding a debate on British military manoeuvres in Ukraine.