In recent months, President Trump has brought a renewed urgency to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Both Ukrainian and Russian civilians need an offramp to this devastating conflict. President Trump has pushed for a quick end to the war without an inclusive process that considers the rights and needs of people affected by it. This will not bring lasting peace.
In light of this, FCNL partnered with Amnesty International USA, the Center for Civilians in Conflict, and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft to lead a letter to members of Congress pressing lawmakers to use their voices to put forth a “positive vision” for an end of violence and a return to peace in Ukraine.
The letter was sent to all members of Congress on May 20 and was signed by more than thirty organizations, including faith-based, human rights, national security, and foreign policy groups, including Freedom House, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Oxfam America.
While FCNL and the other signatories all have different missions and perspectives, we found common ground on the need for a durable and verifiable end to the fighting.
In the immediate term, the letter calls for some urgent needs:
- An end to the fighting;
- An end to the targeting of civilian infrastructure such as power grids, hospitals, and water;
- Comprehensive demining in Ukraine, which has become the most heavily mined country in the world;
- Improved civilian access to food, water, and utilities, especially for older people;
- The immediate return of captives
The letter underscores that sustainable peace is more likely when it is inclusive. To be inclusive, negotiations must involve civil society, including women and marginalized groups, uphold the rights of civilians, lay plans for rebuilding Ukraine, and establish a firm process for accountability, justice, and reparations. The letter also highlights the critical importance of family reunification and the safe return of children abducted from Ukraine.
FCNL and its partners on the letter acknowledge that sophisticated diplomacy between parties who deeply disagree is likely to be long and complicated. However, the Quaker peace testimony teaches that peace is possible. Principled U.S. engagement in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in which human rights are strengthened and harm to civilians is repaired will be difficult, but peace is possible through peaceful means.
