On May 5, Just World Ed President Helena Cobban and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the CODEPINK peace organization, delivered a letter to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC that on behalf of the “Peace in Ukraine” coalition expressed appreciation for the diplomatic efforts China has been making to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.
In the embassy, Ms. Cobban and Ms. Benjamin were received by Councillor Liu Tao, who leads the embassy’s efforts to coordinate with the United States on a range of “regional” issues, including those concerning Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Cllr. Liu engaged in a friendly and substantive exchange of views, analyses, and ideas with his visitors. He noted that China and United States should cooperate more in resolving all the numerous crises in the world today, in Ukraine as well as Sudan, Yemen, and elsewhere.
The letter that Ms. Benjamin and Ms. Cobban delivered on behalf of the Peace In Ukraine coalition expressed the appreciation of the coalition’s members for the peace diplomacy the People’s Republic of China is pursuing regarding the conflict in Ukraine. It noted that coalition leaders applauded the 12-point peace plan for Ukraine that the PRC released on February 24, and had learned with great interest about President Xi Jinping’s recent phone-call with Ukraine’s President Zelensky and the PRC’s decision to dispatch a high-level envoy to Ukraine and other countries to work for de-escalation and peacemaking.
The Peace In Ukraine coalition brings together more than fifty pro-peace citizens’ groups in (primarily) the United States. In recent weeks, it has been organizing a nationwide petition calling for a ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine.
The participants in the meeting in the May 5 meeting agreed to stay in good touch with a view to continuing to boost efforts to win peace in Ukraine.
The Peace in Ukraine coalition is planning to organize similar visits for coordination and solidarity to the embassies in Washington of other countries that are working energetically for a speedy ceasefire and peace in Ukraine.