Here are parts of the interventions expressed at the Conference.
Ruben: “It seems like a century has passed since we were in Kyiv for the founding of the Ukrainian Socialist League, but just over a year has passed. That is why it is a great joy to be here participating in the construction of our young organization in the heat of the great current events. Throughout the world, we must give a unified response, both against the Russian imperialist invasion and rejection of Western imperialism, as well as in response to the very serious consequences that the capitalist crisis is generating in the working class and the poor. I am referring to: uncontrollable inflation, suspensions, layoffs, low wages, miserable pensions, precarious working conditions, unaffordable service fees, extremely expensive rents and non-existent or insufficient social benefits, among other sufferings of the working people. We have to propose a program of transitional demands aimed at making the capitalists pay for the crisis and a fundamental exit for socialism.”
Kyrylo: “…I would like to touch on a point that has to do with the activity of the employees who are in de eme. We have to raise the issue of precariousness… we cannot leave aside all the workers and the precarious workers, that is, those who do not belong to any union: what is their future? What are their prospects? What is their perspective? How can we help them?”
Serhiy: “We have to talk a lot about that and be able to see how we relate our struggle to the Marxist principles of an internationalist approach… there are people who hold ultra-nationalist ideas… Being surrounded and squeezed between two sides – Russian imperialism and Western imperialism – we have to see what position we must take, and in this sense the Marxist approach is vital… to fight against imperialism, we have to form a revolutionary group, with a Marxist approach, based on the principles of internationalism… the experiences that come from Latin America can trace the path towards the implementation of this growth plan…”
Pablo: “I also want to highlight the issue of social discontent that occurs in the face of this armed conflict, that fury, that social rage, which can be channeled in the right direction, we incorporate it into our movement to fight against the discrimination of our rights and not allow the powerful in our society to oppress us. I want to emphasize that the economies of the member countries of the EU have benefited and grown to a large extent at the expense of countries of peripheral capitalism, such as ours… the Ukrainian inhabitants have an idealization of other Western countries, this must not confuse us in regard to the enormous potential that lies in our country and its resources…”
Volodymyr: “It is of vital importance for the organization to continue attracting new people who have critical capacity and think, who are not blinded and can share our ideas, the principles of our ideology, and carry out, together, the actions that we are planning…”
Oleksiy: “Revolutionary activists have to be the vanguard of this struggle, they have to share their ideas and demonstrate the keys to success… we have to separate very well the struggle of the workers’ movement from those false ideas that say that we are victims of a conflict of superior forces, of two political or ideological poles that confront each other and we are a mere tool in their hands.”
Dmytro: “We are facing a crucial stage in the labor movement, we are laying the foundations for a future strengthening of the struggle of the working class, keeping us in unity and solidarity.”
Semen: “After finishing this war we run the risk of our society falling into the hands of an ultra-nationalist government, that is a risk that we have now. Is it just my suspicion or can this really happen?
Oleksandr: “The risk that we now have, having obtained the status of a candidate to be part of the EU, is that they could close their eyes to certain social injustices within our country, as happened in the Baltic countries… What has to happen in our country is a struggle not only against the judicial system but, rather, we have to see the possibility of mobilizing the masses of the working class and being able to carry out national strikes, which are massive protests that oppose all this injustice.”
Slavko: “Thank you very much for everything you guys are doing for us. The Russian Federation is a state that destroys everything it touches, including the socialist ideas of other countries… deep down it is a country that covers itself with certain socialist ideas to mask its imperialism and national chauvinism.”