DISINFO: The US and Russia are to decide on the future of Ukraine
SUMMARY
The moment of truth has come. Americans realise that the future of peace in Ukraine depends on two global superpowers, the US and Russia. Ukraine and some other Western countries are not happy with the current balance of power and are trying to escalate the situation. Zelenskyy is not the type of a politician who can sit at the same negotiating table with Putin and Trump. In case leaders of the US and Russia agree, Trump will give directives to Zelenskyy and the EU.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative in pro-Kremlin outlets accusing the EU and Ukraine of obstructing the peace process between Ukraine and Russia. This claim also fits recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives aimed to undermine the legitimacy of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the agency of Ukraine and the EU. It is made in the context of the announced meeting of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in August 2025.
This article is part of a wider disinformation campaign portraying the EU as a warmongering actor which intends to continue the war in Ukraine even as other actors carry out peace negotiations. This campaign, which accelerated in early 2025, also aims to exacerbate tensions between Transatlantic allies by framing the EU as desperate to continue the war for its own illegitimate interests. Putin and the Kremlin have a track record of portraying demands for Ukraine's unconditional surrender as negotiations. We have analysed this disinformation tactic in several articles, including: “The Kremlin’s tale of the European bogeyman” (10 Jul. 2025), "Prepare for winter" (30 Nov. 2023), "Russian so-called ‘peace proposals’ are empty PR stunts" (18 Jan. 2023).
EU officials have repeatedly stated that it is up to Ukraine only, as the victim of Russia’s aggression, to decide when peace talks with Russia may be possible and in which terms to end the war. The European Union is committed to achieving a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, ensuring that Kyiv’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected. Ukrainian authorities, as well as the EU, are advocating for a lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that West did not want peace, it prodded Ukraine into war, that Zelenskyy and the EU want a permanent war in Ukraine, that Russia never rejected a peaceful solution in Ukraine, Kyiv refuses to negotiate, and that European leaders want eternal war in Ukraine.