DISINFO: US controls Europe and Ukraine; Ukraine should live in peace with Russia
SUMMARY
The United States controls the European Union and Ukraine. Normal Ukrainian people are suffering from this control. Ukraine should live in peace with Russia.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media outlets claiming that Ukraine is being controlled by the West (first and foremost the United States). In reality, Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically elected president and parliament. It has elected six presidents since 1991 and seen the change of power between different political groups. Ukraine is not controlled by any foreign government or organisation. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by the European Union, the United States and other leading democracies. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine” in 2014.
Ukraine is grappling with economic challenges and Russian aggression simultaneously. Kyiv’s Western partners help it a lot in the current difficult situation. It receives financial and technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and other international financial institutions. Ukraine has opted for Euro-Atlantic integration, which is enshrined in its Constitution. It introduced relevant amendments in 2019. Relations between NATO and Ukraine date back to the early 1990s and have since developed into one of the most substantial of NATO’s partnerships. Ukraine and the EU signed the Association Agreement in 2014. Kyiv has taken on important obligations in several crucial spheres, including the economy, industry and environment protection.
Normalisation with Russia is contingent on the latter's pull-out from the occupied territories, which Moscow’s leaders still refuse. Ukrainians suffer from the war with Russia and its proxies in Donbas, not from what Moscow erroneously views as foreign oppression. It is one of the reasons why Ukrainian economy faces extraordinary challenges. The war occupies many resources and efforts. Normalisation of relations between Ukraine and Russia seems out of the question as long as Russian troops occupy over 7 per cent of Ukrainian territory.
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