DISINFO: Decisions on Ukraine are not made by Zelenskyy, but by the high ranking officials in the US
SUMMARY
It does not matter what President Zelenskyy thinks or hopes for. He does not make the decisions. Decisions are made in Washington, and by no means at the presidential level. Decisions are made by well-known high-ranking officials in the State Department, and, probably, even in the presidential administration.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative questioning Ukrainian statehood and sovereignty. Тhe statement was made in the context of the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, trying once again to denigrate Ukraine as a non-sovereign puppet of the US.
The claim that decisions about Ukraine are made in the US is unsubstantiated. Pro-Kremlin media outlets often cast doubts on Ukrainian statehood and claim that Ukraine is not a real state and is going to tumble down very soon. In reality, present-day Ukraine has been on the world map since 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated.
Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically-elected president and parliament. Ukraine has a functioning government and economy, it is a member of many international organizations (e.g. United Nations, Council of Europe), and a party to international agreements. Ukraine has bilateral diplomatic relations with the majority of countries.
Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by continuous acts of aggression by Russian armed forces since 2014 culminating in a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022.
Read more about the EU's response and support for Ukraine.
See our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war.
See our account of the Kremlin's intention of the annihilation of Ukraine here.