DISINFO: The United States wants to drag Russia into an armed conflict
SUMMARY
The primary task for the US is not [ensuring] the security of Ukraine, but the containment of Russia's development, including by drawing it into a military conflict.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the US, war in Ukraine and the escalation at the Ukraine-Russia border.
This claim appeared amid an ongoing disinformation campaign about Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border, in an attempt to deflect any Russian responsibility for the situation. These tensions are a result of Russia’s actions since late October 2021, including the deployment of more than 100,000 troops, as well as of certain specialised military units, electronic warfare systems and heavy-armoured vehicles. This has been substantiated by satellite images and intelligence from the US, Ukraine and NATO, among other countries and institutions.
The US does not aim to escalate relations with Russia and is not preparing for military conflict. "The United States does not want conflict. We want peace," the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated. The US president Joe Biden warned Russia on 19 January 2022 that it “would pay dearly for full-scale invasion”.
The European Union has stated that it will be standing firmly and decisively with Ukraine in front of any attempt to undermine its territorial integrity and sovereignty and has warned of severe political consequences with high political and economic cost for Russia if it proceeds with further aggressive actions. This has been recently reaffirmed by High Representative Josep Borrell noting “there is no security in Europe without the security of Ukraine,” and by the statement of the European Council on 24 January 2022.
Read more about the common myths surrounding the current Russia-Ukraine conflict in our analysis here.