A Christmas wish: An end to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine | Opinion
On Christmas Eve, in 1814, people were praying for an end to a war between Great Britain and the United States. Their prayers were answered that night in the city of Ghent, Belgium, where John Quincy Adams and his team of American diplomats finalized a treaty with the British, ending The War of 1812.
In his diary, Adams wrote: “I cannot close the record of this day without a humble offering of Gratitude to God, for the conclusion to which it has pleased him to bring the Negotiations for Peace at this place, and a fervent prayer that its result may be propitious to the welfare, the best interests and the union of my country!”
This Christmas Eve, people are also praying for peace and an end to the war in Ukraine. Despite peace talks, Russia continues its deadly attacks on Ukraine’s civilians and energy infrastructure. With winter approaching, Ukrainians are being left in the dark— cold and hungry.
The International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies is warning this winter may be the hardest yet for Ukraine: “With savings exhausted, prices soaring and livelihoods destroyed, millions now face a season where survival depends on the support of others,” the federation said in a press release.
Sadly, right now funding for humanitarian aid in Ukraine has been falling short at a time when it’s desperately needed. The UN World Food Program recently said: “Due to funding shortfalls, WFP Ukraine is phasing out some activities, reducing transfer values and limiting all assistance to areas within 50 km of the front lines.”
The World Food Program, CARE, Oxfam, IFRC, Save the Children, United Nation’s Children Fund, Mercy Corps and other charities need more funding for their Ukraine relief programs. Donations are needed to ensure Ukrainian’s war victims get the help they need.
This holiday season, we should fund humanitarian aid to Ukraine and provide a ray of hope to war victims.
This Christmas Eve, peace talks could end the war and Russia’s brutal invasion. It must be a peace with justice: Ukraine should not have to give up its land in a peace deal.
Maryna Kurochkina, the president of The Tenth of April, an Oxfam partner charity, said via online statement: “Peace cannot be built on injustice. Negotiations that pressure the victim of aggression into concessions set a dangerous precedent. Any attempt to decide Ukraine’s territories without Ukraine is null and void.”
We can encourage our diplomats to keep working for peace, to get Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine and withdraw its troops. We must prevent future hostilities. The United States must also negotiate disarmament of nuclear weapons with Russia, as the New START Treaty limiting both countries’ nuclear weapons expires in early 2026.
In his 1953 Chance for Peace speech, President Dwight Eisenhower proposed disarmament with the savings going to help nations overcome hunger and poverty. The U.S. must encourage Russia to join such a disarmament plan today to help end the war and arms races, which are causing so much harm. Notably, the 1814 Peace of Christmas Eve led to another treaty several years later where the British and Americans disarmed warships on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. This event, the Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817, was used as a model for U.S-Russian nuclear arms control efforts during the Cold War.
In other words: The power of peace is timeless.
Prayers were answered on Christmas Eve in 1814 to end a war. We can hope and pray again for the Peace of Christmas Eve, this time for Ukraine.
William Lambers is the author of “The Road to Peace: From the Disarming of the Great Lakes to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty” and partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.” His writings have been published in outlets including The Washington Post, Newsweek and History News Network.