DISINFO: Europeans blame Zelenskyy for stalling the peace process
SUMMARY
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy completes his series of visits to European capitals, the trend towards a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis is taking hold in mainstream Western media. At the same time, Kyiv’s allies are being forced to cut government spending in next year’s budget. In addition, Kyiv is increasingly being reminded of its refusal to implement the Istanbul agreements, and that Zelenskyy, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden are said to be responsible for stalling the peace process.
RESPONSE
A recurring disinformation narrative in pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that Ukraine and the Western countries supporting it are not interested in peace. Such disinformation narratives aim to portray Russia as a victim and deflect any responsibility for Moscow’s actions. The article also provides no evidence for the claim that European leaders think that President Zelenskyy stalled the peace process and blame him for this. The claim seeks to paint the Ukrainian government as warmongering and Russia as a promoter of peace.
The vast majority of European leaders and citizens believe that only Russia is responsible for launching a full-scale invasion against Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
This narrative about Boris Johnson (also in this case Joe Biden) distorts an interview with Davit Arakhamia, the chairman of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party of Ukraine. In the interview, Arakhamia himself denied that the Ukrainian delegation was ready to sign the Istanbul agreement and that Boris Johnson allegedly stopped them.
Based on Arakhamia’s statements, Western partners were kept informed about the negotiations and had access to the draft versions of the agreement. However, they did not make decisions for Ukraine but could only offer advice. Arakhamia clarified in his interview that Ukraine had already decided not to sign the document even before receiving advice from Boris Johnson. Read the full debunk of the story at Myth Detector.
As of October 2024, Ukraine has not yet disclosed the details of the Victory Plan, but according to President Zelenskyy, it covers various aspects of strengthening Ukraine's position to achieve a stable peace: economic, diplomatic, and military. This includes specific amounts of military aid, diplomatic and political steps, and the absence of any concessions to Russia with an emphasis on respect for international law. Ukraine hopes for the rapid implementation of the Plan together with its partners: “The Plan is designed for decisions that should take place from October to December,” Zelenskyy said.
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 Boris Johnson and Anglo-Saxons banned Ukraine from settling agreement with Russia, that Boris Johnson prohibited Kyiv from signing an agreement with Russia in 2022, that Boris Johnson derailed 2022 Istanbul peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, that Ukraine staged Bucha massacre to derail peace talks with Russia, and that Russia never rejected a peaceful solution in Ukraine but Kyiv refuses to negotiate.