Ahead of Russia-U.S. talks, worldwide rally demands “a clear no to Putin’s imperial policy”

Ahead of planned meetings of the US and NATO with Russia, Ukrainians worldwide joined the rally Say No to Putin, demanding leaders of the West say a clear "No" to Putin's empire and his imperial policy both by words and actions. The main rally in Kyiv was joined by smaller events worldwide, from Chicago and New York in the west to Madrid, London, dozens of Ukrainian cities and Melbourne in the east.

The rally was not only about Ukraine but all states and peoples that were occupied or attacked by Russia, participants said. They expressed solidarity with Kazakhs over the latest Russian military intervention in the country, holding the posters "Free Kazakhstan" along with the dominant "Say No to Putin." Representatives of the peoples of Kazakhstan, Erzya, Crimean Tatars, and others who encountered Russian aggression also took part in the main rally in Kyiv.

The participants of the event in Kyiv wrote the appeal #SayNOtoPutin on a big banner and left their signatures on it. Along with about 20 Ukrainian cities, the event took place in:

• Washington
• Chicago
• New York
• Edmonton
• Toronto
• London
• Lisbon
• Madrid
• Riga
• Melbourne, and other cities.

Protesters also warned that Putin's ultimate goal is to restore the USSR by force and capitulation in Ukraine would mean decline of the Western world in front of authoritarian powers.

Many people have also joined the online marathon #SayNoToPutin, posting pictures of their families with the posters demanding "No" to Putin's empire: The Capitulation resistance movement, known for organizing protests against the Steinmeier formula for implementing the Minsk agreements, and the NGO "Free People" organized the event in Ukraine:

"Ukrainians from all over the world have reminded the government and the West before international talks that it is unacceptable to make concessions to the Kremlin and try to appease it at the expense of Ukraine. Putin is a criminal who should be brought to tribunal, not negotiated with. World leaders must understand that Ukrainians will not accept Moscow's ultimatum and will resist the Russian occupiers," the co-organizers of the rally in Ukraine, Capitulation Resistance Movement, commented.

Context

• Talks between the United States and Russia are planned for 10 January 2022 in Geneva.
• Subsequent NATO-Russia talks are set for 12 January.
• On the 13th of January, OSCE is meeting in Vienna with the US, Russia, and Ukraine.
• In addition to these talks, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba will take part in a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission in Brussels on January 10.
• On January 12-13, the Chiefs of Staff of the NATO Armed Forces will hold a virtual meeting with the participation of Ukraine and Georgia representatives “to discuss the security situation in their Nations as well as the ongoing progress with defense-related reforms.”

The military situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border remains tense. Putin has amassed 100,000 Russian troops along the Ukrainian border, threatening Ukraine from the north, east, and south. Together with Putin's allies in Belarus and Transnistria, this puts 80% of the Ukrainian border in danger. In turn, the Ukrainian state has accelerated the organization of its territorial defense, in the framework of the new law on National Resistance which entered into force on 1 January 2022. Ukrainian soldiers have also held online marathon #UkraineWillResist, demonstrating readiness to fight with Russian occupiers whatever is the diplomatic outcome. Ahead of the talks, Moscow is demanding "security guarantees" that NATO will not continue to expand to the east, and wants the alliance to end the deployment of troops and weapons in Eastern Europe. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called Russia's demands a "manipulation," and the White House denied that the United States would reduce its military presence in Eastern Europe. Russian negotiator in Geneve, deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov stated that

"In the last decades, NATO has been seeking to 'displace' our country if not to the role of a subordinate, then at least to the secondary role in European and international politics."... "NATO must pack its stuff and return to the 1997 boundaries."

Russia and its allies deny Ukraine or other states of the former USSR may have their own geopolitical choice expressed by people themselves. They claim it is western interference that pulls Ukraine away from Russia, and that is how Moscow propagandists justify "the return of Ukraine." Earlier, Putin has stated that the disintegration of the USSR was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. Russia's recent policy towards Belarus and Kazakhstan demonstrates that Russian dictator wants to reverse history. That's why the motto "No to Putin's empire" becomes more relevant than ever, participants of the rally claim.