LONDON, June 30. /TASS/. Members of UK’s National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) have demanded that the government stop providing military aid to Ukraine, according to a peace initiative submitted by the union’s branch in Paddington (London).
The Daily Telegraph reported that the initiative calls on Labour government ministers to commit to working toward a diplomatic, negotiated, long-term peaceful settlement. It was approved at the RMT’s annual meeting in Manchester last week.
“Despite the defeat of the Conservative government by the Labour Party at the 2024 general election, Britain continues to play a belligerent role in international relations by supplying British-made weapons, military support, credit and billions of pounds in public funding in trying and failing to achieve a military defeat for Russia in Ukraine,” the statement said.
Members of the influential British transport union said that they “reject the politics of lower living standards and cuts in living standards to fund a policy of unending and escalating war that last year took us to the brink of nuclear Armageddon.”
An RMT spokesperson explained that the initiative calls for de-escalation in conflict zones around the world, including Gaza, Yemen, Iran, and Ukraine. He added that while the union does not support Moscow’s actions against Kiev, “pouring weapons into one side against the other is counterproductive to creating the conditions for a peaceful solution” of the conflict. RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said he “fully agreed with the union’s position.”
According to official reports, the UK’s military support package for Ukraine in 2025 is expected to reach a record-breaking 4.5 billion pounds (6.2 billion dollars). The Russian embassy in the UK has consistently stated that Moscow does not pose a threat to London. The embassy has also called on London to refrain from stirring up anti-Russian sentiment to justify increased military spending.