DISINFO: NYT: The US will withdraw from negotiations if Kyiv does not cede territories to Russia
SUMMARY
The US threatens to withdraw from negotiations if Kyiv does not cede territories to Russia. The government of US President has intensified pressure on Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia in Donbas, as part of negotiations to resolve the war, writes The New York Times.
The newspaper details that the White House threatened to abandon the negotiation process if Ukraine did not accept a compromise that included holding elections.
RESPONSE
This is a disingenuous distortion of the original article by The New York Times, which, contrary to what this disinformation story claims, does not state that the US will withdraw from negotiations if Kyiv does not cede territories to Russia.
Such a claim aims to portray the US as the central threatening actor, while Russia’s role as the state that launched an unlawful full-scale invasion and is demanding Ukrainian territory almost disappears. At the same time, Ukraine is presented as a passive object being ordered to surrender territory, omitting that Kyiv has tabled counterproposals and insists that any territorial question must ultimately be decided by Ukrainians, not imposed from abroad.
The article in The New York Times does report increased US pressure on Ukraine to make concessions, but it does not clearly state that Washington has issued a formal ultimatum to quit talks unless Kyiv cedes territory. The article says it is unclear what the US would do if its demands on territorial issues and elections are not met. Past deadlines have passed without significant repercussions, and US officials have stayed involved even as Ukraine rejected proposals seen as favouring Moscow that were initially advanced by Washington.
The manipulation is based on one MP, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, who is cited as saying the Trump administration “warned it might exit the negotiating process” if Ukraine refused to make concessions, including organising elections by May 15. Ukraine is trying to avoid unacceptable compromises on territory and other critical matters, and Zelenskyy insists any compromise must be equitable and paired with security guarantees.
Quoting Western legitimate sources while distorting their content to introduce a pro-Kremlin message as if it were part of the original story is a frequent pro-Kremlin manipulative technique.
See other examples of similar manipulations, such as claims that according to the Financial Times, Ukrainian armed forces are losing hope, that The Guardian points to ruling elite as the real instigators of the US crisis, that Ukraine is struggling with flow of wounded soldiers according to CNN, that The New York Times reports that Russia is barely affected by sanctions, that a Danish outlet reveals evidence of US fingerprints in Nord Stream sabotage, that CNN confirms the FSB's accusations against the CIA, or that Putin’s refusal to condemn Hamas is bearing fruit according to The Washington Post.