DISINFO: Ukraine is not a sovereign state, but completely subordinate to NATO and the US
SUMMARY
In Ukraine, all decisions are made at the suggestion of Washington. Discussions with the Kyiv authorities are being conducted by the US through the appropriate channels of communication. Then everything is presented as a decision of the Ukrainian side, but in fact it is not. Formally, Ukraine is a sovereign state, but in essence it is completely subordinate to NATO structures, primarily the United States.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative about the Ukrainian statehood. Тhe statement was made in the context of the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Ukrainian-Russian peace discussions, trying once again to present Ukraine as a non-sovereign country, as a puppet of the West.
Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically-elected president and parliament. Ukraine has a functioning government and economy, it is a member of many international organisations (e.g. United Nations, Council of Europe), and a party to international agreements. Ukraine has bilateral diplomatic relations with the majority of countries.
The country is not controlled by any foreign government or organisation. Both the EU and the US respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Moreover, Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by almost the whole world with Russia as the outstanding exception.
Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by continuous acts of aggression by Russian armed forces since 2014.
On 21 February 2022, in violation of international law, President Putin recognised the independence of two self-proclaimed separatist entities within Ukraine and ordered Russian forces to perform 'peacekeeping' functions.
On 24 February 2022, Putin announced his decision to launch a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, which started the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII. One of the pretexts for the so-called "military operation" is “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine according to official Russian statements. As a result of this decision, on 2 March, 39 governments asked the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EUvsDisinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.
Read our recent articles on 7 myths of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the Russian military buildup near Ukraine, and Kremlin fabricated pretexts for the further invasion of Ukraine. For the background, see vol. 1 and vol. 2 of the series "What he said and what it really means".
See our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war.
See our account of the Kremlin's intention of annihilation of Ukraine here.
This disinformation claim was broadcast via Sputnik or RT on the date mentioned above. Due to the EU decision to temporarily restrict the spread and dissemination of RT and Sputnik inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU.