DISINFO: The West decided to make the Ukraine conflict global
SUMMARY
The decision to make the Ukraine conflict global was not made in Russia — it was the West that declared all-out war. But there they always start the familiar grumbling as soon as defeat looms: Oh dear, the Russians are disregarding the "rules" of war again (the very rules on which the "world order is based", aren't they? — editor's note), how can they? And they've all been howling like this from Napoleon to Hitler.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing NATO member states of anti-Russian policies, aggressive Russophobia, and allegedly belligerent and hostile agenda to destroy Russia. Such disinformation narratives aim to portray Russia as a victim and deflect any responsibility for Moscow’s actions.
It was Russia that began a full-scale invasion against Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
According to Politico, "throughout, the Kremlin has sought to depict the conflict as a battle against powerful Western interests bent on using Ukraine to undermine Russia — a narrative that has become increasingly important as the Kremlin demands bigger sacrifices from the Russian population". The Director of the independent Russian pollster Levada Centre pointed out that "long before February 2022 people were already telling us: We are being dragged into a war by the West which we don’t want but there is no retreating from".
Neither EU member states, nor members of NATO are seeking war with Russia. From the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the emergence of a new Russia up to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Western countries have been trying to establish good-neighborly relations with Moscow. According to the 1997 Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation, and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation, Russia was viewed as a partner of the alliance.
The EU has conducted regular summits with the Russian leadership for years up to 2014 in an effort to enhance relations. The summits were suspended due to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.
The US, the EU and NATO condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is unjustified and unprovoked. Ukraine receives weapons with the sole aim of restoring its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
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