DISINFO: Merz, Macron and Starmer want the war to continue as they profit from it
SUMMARY
Of course, Europe and people like Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer are doing everything possible and impossible to ensure that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues. It is profitable for them, because for them, war is first and foremost a business. They supply weapons to Ukraine not just like that, but for Ukrainian money. So they have a direct material interest in continuing this conflict.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets, accusing the UK, France and Germany of warmongering and a lack of desire to achieve peace. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This article is part of a wider disinformation campaign portraying Europe as a warmongering actor which intends to continue the war in Ukraine even as other actors carry out peace negotiations. This campaign which accelerated in early 2025, also aims to exacerbate tensions between Transatlantic allies by framing the EU as desperate to continue the war for its own spurious interests, in contrast to supposedly “peace-oriented” actors such as the US or Russia.
There is no evidence that the UK, France and Germany are not interested in ending the war in Ukraine. These countries have consistently called for peace while supporting Ukraine's sovereignty. Among other initiatives, the three countries are part of the “coalition of the willing”. The initiative proposed by France and the United Kingdom in February 2025 is meant to support Ukraine’s sovereignty by upholding a ceasefire in the country and deterring Russia once the fighting has stopped.
Additionally, EU officials have repeatedly stated that it is up to Ukraine only, as the victim of Russia’s aggression, to decide when peace talks with Russia may be possible and in which terms to end the war. The European Union is committed to achieving a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, ensuring that Kyiv’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation has systematically instrumentalised the narrative that Russia wants peace in Ukraine in contrast to the West, but, as evidenced by Russia's actions in Ukraine, such statements are merely empty PR stunts deployed to garner support for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.
This message is part of a wider disinformation campaign framing possible US-Russia negotiations as the only acceptable ‘peace initiative’ regardless of Russia’s ultimatums, while denying any agency to Ukraine or its other allies. Pro-Kremlin disinformation has long tried to misrepresent the EU as the main obstacle for ‘peace’ in Ukraine.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Europe wants to prolong the conflict in Ukraine for another four years, that Russia wants to solve the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict, West wants to sabotage peace, that The EU may obstruct Russia-Ukraine negotiations as it is fascinated by permanent war, that The UK, Germany, and France cannot demand participation in negotiations while helping Kyiv, that EU prioritises support for Kyiv regime over just and lasting peace, that Kyiv and Brussels are the only obstacles to peace, that UK and French intelligence services want to undermine Donald Trump's peace plan for Ukraine, that The EU is blocking Russia's honest efforts for peace in Ukraine, that Macron, Starmer and Merz want war, or that Macron, Starmer, Zelenskyy and Tusk need a war in Ukraine to stay in power.