DISINFO: Kyiv cut its ties with Minsk to please the West
SUMMARY
Kyiv has entirely ruined its relationship with Minsk to favour the geopolitical interests of the West. What Ukraine does is evidence that it is the object and not the subject of its own international relations. Similarly to the Baltic states and Poland, it is a geopolitical tool in the hands of the United States.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation about Ukraine that is spread by pro-Kremlin media outlets and aimed at undermining the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity in light of the Russo-Ukrainian War in Eastern Ukraine.
The actuality of the disinformation claim above goes back to the decision of the Ukrainian government about ruling out a return to the OSCE-moderated peace talks in Minsk on April 7, 2021. It also builds on Ukraine's recent decision to suspend air connections with Belarus over the disputed arrest of Belarusian dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich. Pratasevich was forced down from a Ryanair plane from Athens to Vilnius on May 23 that was hijacked by Belarusian authorities with the use of a false bomb threat.
While both decisions made by the Ukrainian government can be assessed as showing solidarity with the European Union, there is no evidence to suggest that Ukrainian governmental decisions are taken by any foreign entity, including the United States.
Regarding the case of Ukraine's decision to drop Minsk as the venue for the peace talks, the Ukrainian move came as a reaction to the Kremlin's visibly growing influence over Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. In addition, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, Oleksiy Reznikov, who is in charge of the peace talks on behalf of the Ukrainian government, pointed to an increasing "enemy-like rhetoric from Belarus" when making the decision that was also influenced by the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic blocks personal peace talks and travel to Minsk.
As for the Ukrainian decision on banning air traffic with Belarus on May 26 that come after the disputed arrest of Raman Pratasevich, the Ukrainian move was similarly based on domestic concerns, given the security risks to planes flying through Belarus. "The situation with the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk is a violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The decision by our government is aimed at ensuring the safety of flights and passengers," Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
See a similar disinformation case here concerning the recent Ukrainian governmental actions against pro-Kremlin Ukrainian oligarch and opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk.