Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters shared an open letter about the war between Ukraine and Russia and called for ‘sustainable peace.’
As you know, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the first months of 2022, which unfortunately continues, received many different reactions both in the political arena and in the art circles. Many famous people founded charities, held benefit concerts for the ones in need, and raised money for donations. There were also those who called for peace through their social media posts and the open letters they wrote, including Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and Brian May.
Roger Waters is one of the celebrities who refused to stay silent. Waters had previously penned an open letter to Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska. In this letter, he called both sides to make a peace settlement but also criticized the Ukrainian government for encouraging radical nationalists and being fueled by the West, and the first lady answered. After this correspondence, the former Pink Floyd member received a significant backlash on social media.
Waters recently posted another open letter on Facebook, this time addressing Vladimir Putin. Roger Waters is known for making bold statements without hesitation before, especially on political issues, which was also the case in this letter. The musician asked the Russian President to stop this aggression, urging him to ceasefire and make a diplomatic settlement. While accusing Putin of invading Ukraine, Roger urged him to convey to the public that Russia has no intention of overrunning Europe. He also requested from the president reassurance for sustainable peace.
Here is Roger Waters’s open letter addressing Vladimir Putin:
“Recently I have been reading comments on social media, asking why I’ve written to Mrs. Olena Zelenska but not Mr. Vladimir Putin? Very good question, I’m glad you asked, here it is.
Roger Waters’ open letter to Vladimir Putin.
Dear President Putin, since The Russian Federation invaded Ukraine on February 24th this year I have tried to use my small influence to encourage a ceasefire and a diplomatic settlement that addresses the security needs of both Ukraine and The Russian Federation. In that endeavor, I have written two open letters to Mrs. Olena Zelenska, the wife of the Ukrainian President. These letters are readily available on the internet.
I am increasingly asked to write to you too, so here goes. Firstly, would you like to see an end to this war? If you were to reply and say, ‘Yes please.’ That would immediately make things a lot easier. If you were to come out and say, ‘Also the Russian Federation has no further territorial interest beyond the security of the Russian-speaking populations of Crimea, Donetsk, and Lugansk.’ That would help too.”
He continued by saying:
“I say this because, I know some people who think you want to overrun the whole of Europe, starting with Poland and the rest of the Baltic states. If you do, f*ck you, and we might as well all stop playing the desperately dangerous game of nuclear chicken that the hawks on both sides of the Atlantic seem so comfortable with, and have at it. Yup, just blow each other and the world to smithereens. The problem is, I have kids and grandkids, and so do most of my brothers and sisters all over the world and none of us would relish that outcome. So, please Mr. Putin indulge me, and make us that assurance.
Alright back to the table, if I’ve read your previous speeches correctly, you would like to negotiate a state of neutrality for a sovereign neighboring Ukraine? Is that correct? Assuming such a peace could be negotiated it would have to include an absolutely binding agreement not to invade anyone ever again. I know, I know, the USA and NATO invade other sovereign countries at the drop of a hat, or for a few barrels of oil, but that doesn’t mean you should, your invasion of Ukraine took me completely by surprise, it was a heinous war of aggression, provoked or not.
When Mrs. Zelenska replied to me via Twitter, I was very surprised and mightily moved, if you were to reply to me, I would mightily respect you for it, and take it as an honorable move in the right direction towards a sustainable peace.
Yours sincerely
Roger Waters.”
The legendary member of Pink Floyd ended his statement by referring to his previous correspondence with the First Lady of Ukraine and stated that if Vladimir Putin also wrote a response to him, as Zelenska did, he would respect it and accept it as a step towards sustainable peace. It is unknown whether Putin will respond to it.
