DISINFO: The West is blinded by its desire to destroy Russia
SUMMARY
NATO members are sending weapons to Ukraine, ranging from anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to armored vehicles and kamikaze drones. Several Western countries, including EU members, have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow, some calling for a ban on oil and gas imports from Russia.
Is this not in fact a conflict between the West and Russia, in which Ukraine is just an unfortunate, albeit convenient, tool? Everyone in the West is blinded by the desire to destroy Russia, even at the cost of Europe's self-destruction and economic ruin, and the West and Russia must therefore come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that Ukraine is being used as a Western "tool" against Russia. The claim aims to deflect any Russian responsibility for the unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022.
The claim that the West allegedly provoked the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the key messages of Putin’s propaganda. The West does not want to use Ukraine in the war against Russia. It is Russia that undertook a well-documented act of aggression, ongoing since February 2014.
In reality, Russia has been coming up with different explanations and pretexts for its unjustified invasion of Ukraine as the situation has been changing. 'Denazifying' and 'demilitarising' Ukraine as well as 'ensuring its neutral status' were among the main reasons for the assault. Protecting the residents of the self-proclaimed separatist entities in Eastern Ukraine from alleged genocide and imposing the use of the Russian language in Ukraine were cited, too. Ukraine was also accused of failing to implement the Minsk accords, although it was Russia and its proxies in the region who were blocking the process of normalisation.
The US and EU did not aim to escalate relations with Russia and were not preparing for military conflict. Western nations have always been calling for solving all problems with Russia in a peaceful and diplomatic manner. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West.
Western leaders did not aim for a confrontation with Russia and had tried diplomatically to avoid any possible escalations in Ukraine. Several world leaders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the weeks before the invasion, as a 190,000-strong Russian military force was building up on the border of Ukraine.
See our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war and read our account of the Kremlin's intention to annihilate Ukraine here.