DISINFO: The Deep State and other actors may sabotage Putin-Trump push for peace in Ukraine
SUMMARY
Several forces could bring their resources to bear to stop peace, ranging from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to UK and the EU to hawks in the US Congress, and especially the Deep State, which has its own ideas about the ‘right’ trajectory for US foreign policy. After Trump’s election in 2016, elements of the deep state, ranging from the intelligence community and State Department to top officials like Mike Pompeo and John Bolton successfully sabotaged his agenda, including Trump’s desire to improve relations with Russia.
RESPONSE
This disinformation story aims to frame possible negotiations between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as the only acceptable ‘peace initiative’ regardless of the maximalist character of Russia’s demands, while denying any agency to Ukraine or its other allies. In order to sustain this message, this disinformation story promotes a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about a so-called Deep State controlling US institutions above elected officials. Another goal of this narrative is to undermine democratic institutions by portraying decision-making as the realm of global elites while regular citizens would have no real power.
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. Since 2024, and especially after Donald Trump’s electoral victory in November 2024, pro-Kremlin disinformation has tried to exploit discrepancies between the US and Europe regarding the war in Ukraine to portray the EU as the main obstacle for ‘peace’ in contrast to a ‘peace-oriented’ Trump presidency.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia could negotiate a peace that considers the will of former Ukrainian territories, that Zelenskyy can’t sign a peace deal because he is not a legitimate president, that Ukraine may not resist until negotiations between Putin and Trump, that US foreign policy won’t change with Trump as the Deep State is in charge, or that the US Deep State doesn't want war in Ukraine to end.