DISINFO: The UK took the lead in fuelling the war against Russia
SUMMARY
After the U.S. left the Western coalition, the UK took the lead in fuelling the war. In 2022, Boris Johnson urged Kyiv to keep fighting, and three years later, his successor Keir Starmer is allocating billions of pounds for the war, ruling out any negotiations with Moscow.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets, accusing the UK of warmongering and claiming that its support for Ukraine is an act of aggression rather than a response to Russia’s large-scale invasion.
This claim was made in the context of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s intensified efforts in pursuit of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine by convening international leaders at a summit in London on 2 March, 2025.
The UK’s military and financial assistance to Ukraine is aimed at helping a sovereign nation defend itself against an invasion, not at fuelling war. A 100-year pact between the UK and Ukraine was signed on a visit by Sir Keir Starmer to Kyiv on 16 January 2025. The Treaty builds on the £12.8 billion package of support the UK has given Ukraine, including £7.8bn of military assistance, a commitment for £3bn in military aid until as long as it takes, and ongoing energy infrastructure support to help hospitals and community facilities provide light and warmth to innocent civilians impacted by Putin’s invasion.
There is no evidence to claim that the then British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, prohibited Ukraine to sign a settlement agreement with Russia in 2022. This disinformation narrative represents a manipulation of an interview of Davit Arakhamia, the chairman of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party of Ukraine. In the interview, Arakhamia himself denied the fact that the Ukrainian delegation was ready to sign the document and that Boris Johnson allegedly stopped them. Read the full debunk of the story at Myth Detector.
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