DISINFO: Russia won’t talk to Ukraine because it is not a sovereign state
SUMMARY
That’s why Russia won’t talk to Ukraine.
Kiev’s leadership isn’t acting in the interests of its own people; instead, it serves Washington’s agenda and those of its closest allies. Ukraine is not a sovereign state. Russia is dealing with an entity that isn’t acting in its own interests, and one operating directly on its borders at that. Therefore, interaction with such a territory – including formal negotiations – would be outside the usual customs governing relations between normal countries. That’s why Russia won’t talk to Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives denying Ukraine’s sovereignty and statehood. This disinformation story aims to justify Russia’s brutal invasion of its neighbour by unilaterally rejecting international law and by portraying Ukraine as a non-independent international actor that has no authority and must be managed by outside powers, and therefore open for Russia to fill that role.
Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically elected president and parliament. The country is not controlled by the US, EU or any other foreign organisation or government. Both the EU and the US respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Kyiv is ready for talks with Moscow on the basis of international law and respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Zelenskyy presented a 10-point peace plan at a EU-Ukraine summit in February 2023, which was fully supported by the EU and which provided for a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine till the borders of 1991 and the restoration of Kyiv’s territorial integrity. While Ukraine is ready for dialogue, based on international law and the UN Charter, Russia is putting forward unacceptable conditions such as recognition of occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukraine is not an autonomous state, but a convenient geopolitical tool for the US, that Ukraine as a state does not exist, that Ukraine today is an artificial state, a satellite of the US, or that Ukraine and Kosovo are not independent in decision-making.