Ukraine Week of Action Events by Day

September 12th, 2022 - by Peace In Ukraine / CODEPINK

New Peace in Ukraine Coalition Kicks Off Nationwide Week of Action Monday, Sept 12 in D.C.

Peace In Ukraine / CODEPINK

From DC and across the nation, CODEPINK & the Peace in Ukraine Coalition will rally inside and outside congressional offices to call for a ceasefire in Ukraine and investments in climate, not weapons to fuel endless war.

WASHINGTON: (September 11, 2022) — CODEPINK: Women for Peace, along with the Peace In Ukraine Coalition, will kick off a nationwide Week of Action Monday, September 12th, to demand a ceasefire in Ukraine, direct talks between the US and Russia and a freeze on weapons shipments to resolve a war in which the stakes have never been higher since the Cold War.

As the war on Ukraine enters its 7th month, the United States continues to escalate the conflict that threatens to kill thousands more Ukrainians and Russians, worsen global famine, further devastate the climate and push the two most heavily armed nuclear nations, the United States and Russia, to the brink of nuclear annihilation.

The launch for the week of action will be held at 1pm ET in front of the Cannon Building at Independence Way SE and New Jersey Ave SE. The action will feature CODEPINK co-founder, Medea Benjamin, and retired United States Army colonel and U.S. State Department official, Ann Wright.

“The White House and Congress are fueling this war with a steady stream of weapons instead of pushing for talks to end the conflict,” said Medea Benjamin. “That’s why we, the people, have to rise up with a demand of Negotiations, Not Escalation.” Benjamin, who has authored 10 books, is gearing up for a book tour for the release of her latest book, War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, co-authored with Nicholas Davies.

Also speaking at the launch is Ann Wright, who resigned from her position with the State Department on the eve of the invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003 stating that the invasion would be a violation of international law. Since then, she has been writing and speaking out for peace.

Rather than push for a protracted war, the White House and Congress should support a diplomatic solution along the lines of the MINSK II Peace Accord, signed by both Ukraine and Russia in 2015, to declare Ukraine a neutral non-NATO country and hold elections in the eastern region of Ukraine. Instead the US government has budgeted $40 billion to escalate the war with weapons, military equipment, troop training and intelligence, with zero accountability or oversight for taxpayer dollars. The same amount of money could have paid for 350,000 nurses or 400,000 elementary school teachers.

Other events planned for the week include peace actions in Rockville, MD; Milwaukie, WI; Nashville, TN; Philadelphia, PA, Newton, Quincy and Maiden, MA, as well five cities in California: San Francisco, San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Mateo and Santa Barbara. Peace delegations will meet inside and outside the congressional offices of Representatives Jaimie Raskin (MD-08), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Jake Auchincloss (MA-4), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Judy Chu (CA-27), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Jim Cooper, (TN-05), Adriano de Jesús Espaillat Rodríguez (NY-13), and Ted Lieu (CA-33), as well as Senators Padilla and Feinstein (CA).

Partner organizations in the Peace in Ukraine Coalition include CODEPINK; Veterans for Peace; World Beyond War; Women’s Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-US; International Committee-Democratic Socialists of America (DSA); RootsAction; Massachusetts Peace Action; Foreign Policy Team-Progressive Democrats of America; Peace, Justice and Sustainability Now, as well as others.

For a list of events, please visit https://www.codepink.org/events

MONDAY, SEPT 12

National Call-In & Write-In Day to Congress 

CEASEFIRE Now.

DIPLOMACY to End the War in Ukraine.

$$$ for Climate, Healthcare & Housing,

NOT Weapons to Enrich War Profiteers.

DO NOT RISK NUCLEAR WAR!

Tell Congress: No More Escalation (CODEPINK one-click message)

Tell Congress to oppose weapons shipments to Ukraine (DSA International one-click)

Tell the Nations’ Governments: Ceasefire and Negotiate Peace (World Beyond War)

Tell Your Senators to Vote No on the 2023 Military Budget (CODEPINK one-click)

AND/OR

Call the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121

Email your House & Senate reps at their website.

Tell Congress: Support and work for these steps to end the war:
•   Call for a ceasefire.
•   Support peace negotiation and oppose escalatory actions by the US.
•   Support the US/NATO parallel talks with Russia to address broader pan-European security issues, including the removal of US nuclear weapons stationed in NATO countries.
•   Freeze all weapons transfers, and pause military actions by all belligerents.
•   Support debt relief and debt cancellation for Ukraine as it copes with the destruction of the war.

TUESDAY, SEPT 13
National Write-In Day to the White House and State Department 

​​Whitehouse Email: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

State Department Email: AskPublicAffairs@state.gov

Tell the President & Secretary of State Blinken to:

  • Call for a ceasefire.
  • Offer U.S. support for peace diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia. The Istanbul proposal by Ukraine and the earlier Minsk agreements provide possible models.
    Directly engage with Russia to reduce tensions, avert miscalculation, and to build a viable European security arrangement that includes nuclear arms reductions.
    Specifically, offer withdrawal of US nuclear warheads stationed in NATO countries in exchange for Putin not installing weapons in Belarus. This could be implemented when Russia and Ukraine implement a peace settlement.
    Support debt relief and debt cancellation for Ukraine as it copes with the destruction of the war.
    $$$ for Climate, Healthcare & Housing, NOT Weapons to Enrich War Profiteers.

Note: Former President John F. Kennedy resolved the Cuban Missile Crisis by agreeing to remove US missiles from Turkey in return for Russia removing nuclear missiles from Cuba. Presently, the US has installed nuclear weapons in five NATO countries. Biden and Putin could meet to discuss denuclearization and a resumption of arms control agreements abandoned under the Bush and Trump administrations.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 14
National Call-In, Write-In and Tweet-In Day to the Media

(Wash Post, NY Times, CNN, MSNBC)

Tell the media to stop driving war–click to send a message.

and/or

Contact the media to request anchors & journalists feature alternative voices to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

Suggested guests: Medea Benjamin, cofounder CODEPINK and coauthor with Nicolas J. Davies of the soon-to-be-released “War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless War”; Ann Wright, retired diplomat; Jeffrey Sachs, economist; John Quigley, professor and former US negotiator in Crimea; Katrina vanden Heuvel, publisher, The Nation; Norman Solomon, cofounder, RootsAction; David Swanson, executive director, World Beyond War.

Send an email to:

Other options for contacting the media:

– New York Times: To report errors regarding our coverage, send an email to nytnews@nytimes.com or leave a message at 844-NYTNEWS (844-698-6397).

– Washington Post: The online Help Center directs questions about The Post to the appropriate departments for resolution. The Help Center is also available by phone at 800-477-4679.

– CNN: Call 404-827-1500 and select option 1 to leave a news tip or story idea by phone. The CNN corporate office phone number is 404-827-1700, or you can fax them at 404-827-2600. The customer service number for CNN’s Washington D.C. bureau is 202-898-7900.

– MSNBC: Send an email to the editor at MSNBC News. The 2 main emails are msnbc.digital.editors@nbcuni.com and MSNBCTVinfo@nbcuni.com. Or, you can locate the page for MSNBC News on Facebook or Twitter to write to MSNBC news directly. Find the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NBCNews/. Their Twitter page is at https://twitter.com/NBCNews. Typically,

it will pop up with a separate window where you can write your message. Viewers may call msnbc Media Relations at 212-664-6605 or send an email to msnbctvinfo@nbcuni.com.

THURSDAY, SEPT 15
Day of Rallies Outside and Delegations Inside Congressional Offices (or on ZOOM)

CEASEFIRE Now.

DIPLOMACY to End the War in Ukraine.

$$$ for Climate, Healthcare & Housing,

NOT Weapons to Enrich War Profiteers.

DO NOT RISK NUCLEAR WAR!