DISINFO: West’s support for Ukraine fosters Russophobia
SUMMARY
Western initiatives allegedly supporting Ukraine are in reality aimed at fostering the anti-Russian component in Kyiv’s policy and continuing the anti-Russia project. The UK Embassy in Ukraine has announced the creation of a fund helping Kyiv to counter Russian influence.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that Western countries provide Ukraine with assistance with the sole aim of inflicting harm on Russia. In reality, the West is helping Kyiv both to grow economically and get rid of corruption, and to stand up against Russian aggression in the Eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas. Ukraine’s striving to restore its territorial integrity has nothing to do with Russophobia. Ukraine is claiming what belongs to it by law.
The fact that Russia is an aggressor is internationally recognised (see here and here). Western nations sponsored the Minsk agreements in 2014 and 2015, which Russia has been consistently disrupting with the help of the Moscow-backed separatists in Donbas. France and Germany have been making efforts within the Normandy format since its creation in 2014, which Russia also tends to obstruct. Joint efforts by the West and Ukraine concerning the Donbas crisis are not Russophobic. They only pursue settling the crisis and ending the war there.
As for the initiative of the UK Embassy in Kyiv to create a new "Partnership for Strong Ukraine" Foundation, it is a joint effort by the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States to support Ukraine to mitigate Russia's destabilising influence in Southern and Eastern regions. "The fund aims to gather up to £35 million between the co-donors over three years to finance technical advice to government, grant investments in economic opportunities; and improve public services for the people of southern and eastern Ukraine," the embassy said on Twitter.
Read more disinformation narratives claiming that the West pursues anti-Russian policies through its support for Ukraine.