DISINFO: West did not want peace, it prodded Ukraine into war
SUMMARY
The Ukrainians could have returned Donetsk and Luhansk one and a half years ago. They would have granted that territory autonomy and changed legislation, and they could have tried to establish their order there several years later. But they did not do so because those who were backing them (the West) needed war.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that the so called 'collective West' deliberately provoked Russia into attacking Ukraine, attempting to obscure Russia's sole responsibility for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It also attempts to portray Ukraine as a Western puppet state.
It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII. Putin claims several reasons for launching aggression, including Ukraine’s alleged desire to obtain nuclear weapons, and Kyiv’s possible membership of NATO etc. See our past analysis Twelve myths about Russia’s war in Ukraine exposed.
Russia is the only country responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. It has been coming up with different false explanations and pretexts for its aggression since the beginning of its hostilities.
It is Russia who has been violating international law since 2014 occupying and then annexing Crimea and then starting a conflict in Donbas.
Ukraine's European partners were acting as go-betweens in order to help Ukraine find a peaceful settlement from the very beginning of the separatist revolt, instigated there by Russia in 2014. European leaders’ efforts led to the Minsk Agreements which provided a step-by-step plan of how to achieve peace. Normandy-format meetings were later introduced.
The Minsk Agreements also required holding free elections in the non-government-controlled territories according to Ukrainian legislation. Since Russia declined to withdraw, Ukraine was unable to hold a free election there. It was Putin who did not want peace in the region, which is why Moscow was providing separatist leaders with arms and ammunition, as well as sending its regular troops to the region.
The European Union endorsed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan which provides for the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders of 1991. The EU and the US, condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Russia attacked Ukraine because Kyiv broke the Minsk agreements, that Western countries need the war in Ukraine for their arms industries, and that The special military operation is a response to NATO aggression against Russia.