The Russian Anti-war Committee considers a swift end to Putin’s aggression and a ceasefire to be of the utmost importance. That being said, we know that Vladimir Putin perceives any concession, not as a step towards peace, but as evidence of weakness and an invitation to broaden his demands.

This meeting is not just another diplomatic ritual, but a pivotal moment for the entire world. America must not show weakness. Every such signal from the West takes us further from peace and closer to global conflict.

We know that from a strategic perspective Russia has lost the war. The unrecognised annexation of devastated territories at a cost of tens of thousands of casualties is not victory.

Putin wants to continue the war because it helps him maintain power. This is why economic sanctions alone will not stop him. He must be made to understand that continuing the war will not postpone his defeat, but speed it up.

We are certain that such negotiations are worthwhile only if Donald Trump is prepared to fulfil his campaign promise and provide Ukraine with all means necessary for its defense if the Kremlin refuses to stop the war.

Any other outcome would be viewed by the Kremlin, and by similar regimes around the world, as a sign of weakness on the part of the US and the West as a whole. This would prompt a multitude of attempts to redistribute influence around the globe – in essence, a new World War.

End the war!

Signatories:

• Sergey Aleksashenko
• Marat Gelman
• Dmitri Gudkov
• Boris Zimin
• Evgeny Kiselev
• Mikhail Kokorich
• Elena Lukyanova
• Maksim Reznik
• Artur Smolyaninov
• Mikhail Khodorkovsky
• Evgeny Chichvarkin
• Anastasia Shevchenko