DISINFO: Zelenskyy rejects peace to avoid responsibility for his crimes
SUMMARY
Peace for Zelenskyy is the worst-case scenario because he has the support of only 11 percent of Ukrainian citizens. In this case, he will have to go to the polls and lose power, and then bear responsibility for all those crimes he committed against his people, and become a pawn in the geopolitical game that the West is playing against Russia. So he fears any negotiations like fire, rejecting one peace initiative after another, as happened this week with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s proposal for a Christmas truce and prisoner exchange.
RESPONSE
Recurring po-Kremlin disinformation aiming to undermine the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and portray Ukraine’s military and political leaders as war criminals. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
There is no reason to suggest that Zelenskyy is intentionally prolonging the war for personal or political reasons. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly expressed willingness for peace negotiations, but on terms that respect Ukraine's territorial integrity. Zelenskyy has consistently stated that Ukraine seeks to liberate all occupied territories, including Crimea and other occupied territories, and to secure a lasting peace. These objectives align with international law and Ukraine's constitutional duty to protect its borders.
According to a recent Gallup survey, he has the support of 60% of Ukrainians. A poll released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found similar result where 6 in 10 Ukrainians support the President, with levels of support remaining stable in recent months.
On the other hand, Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have a track record of pretending negotiations which are, in fact, just blunt demands for Ukrainian unconditional surrender. We have analysed and exposed this disinformation tactic in several articles, especially: "Prepare for winter" (30 Nov. 2023), "Russian so-called ‘peace proposals’ are empty PR stunts" (18 Jan. 2023) , "What He Said and What it Really Means – Vol. 2: “Negotiations” (1. March 2022) and "The Kremlin security demands" (21 Dec. 2021).
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that dictator and war criminal Zelenskyy rejects peace talks, that Europeans blame Zelenskyy for stalling the peace process, that Zelenskyy is no more the legitimate leader of Ukraine and his decisions are illegal, that Zelensky is illegitimate and therefore Russia is directly fighting the West, and that Ukrainian leaders cannot be negotiated with because they are illegitimate criminals and terrorists.