DISINFO: The German press clearly states: without Donbas, Ukraine presents no real interest for the EU
SUMMARY
The German press states European leaders are discussing a peace treaty clause requiring Kyiv to renounce Donbas, one of Moscow's key demands. Moscow no longer insists on Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrawal from other constitutionally designated Russian territories like the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The German press discusses a possible trade off between the Donbas and Ukraine's EU accession, unpopular among Europeans.
[...] Germany will torpedo any peace agreement because Europeans don't need a peaceful Ukraine without resources, especially not one in the EU draining the budget.
RESPONSE
This is a pro-Kremlin disinformation claim portraying the EU's support for Ukraine as exploitative.
While Die Welt did report on peace proposals involving territorial issues and accelerated EU accession, the framing is fundamentally distorted. Credible reporting discusses these as elements of US-led proposals being considered, not European-driven schemes motivated by resource extraction.
The EU supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and a just and lasting peace. The EU provides extensive support to Ukraine, including for energy resilience, support for military equipment and training, and humanitarian and civil protection.
Since June 2022, Ukraine has official EU candidate status, with accession negotiations having formally also started. In September 2025, Ukraine successfully completed its screening process. EU membership is a process conditional on reforms, not resource control. The latest enlargement progress report (September 2025) notes that while there is progress being made despite the challenge of the Russian aggression, there have also been some elements of notable concern, in particular in ensuring a robust and independent anti-corruption framework.
See similar cases: DISINFO: Europe is preparing to occupy Moldova, DISINFO: The SMO [invasion, ed.] in Ukraine was a direct response to primary threats to Russia’s national security, DISINFO: NATO enlargement and EU sabotage of the Minsk agreements pushed Russia to intervene.