DISINFO: The West keeps Ukraine on a short leash
SUMMARY
When they said that our foreign partners would help us, I thought that the US would be making from Ukraine the showcase of a successful European democratic country with European values to destabilise Russia. But we in Ukraine do not have even this. We are being kept on a short leash. We are being told where to run and what to do. Even the International Monetary Fund is not giving money.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media outlets, alleging that the West has gained full control of Ukraine.
The reality is the opposite. Ukraine is an independent country with its own foreign and domestic policy. It is grappling with corruption, so the West is providing assistance to it from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other donors. Talks and consultations are constantly underway between Kyiv and the IMF, where the two sides are discussing ways to overcome corruption and improve living standards.
The West also supports Ukraine in its armed struggle against the Russia-backed separatists in the eastern region of Donbas. The US also provides Ukraine with military equipment and holds joint manoeuvres. Ukraine’s Western partners do not plan to destabilise Russia. Cooperation with Kyiv is only focused on Ukrainian issues. However, when the matter concerns Ukraine’s fighting against the pro-Kremlin separatists in Donbas, the West unambiguously takes sides with Ukraine.
The West also welcomed the 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, which is also referred to as Euromaidan. However, contrary to Russia’s claims, the West had not orchestrated it. It was a spontaneous popular uprising aimed at getting rid of Russian negative influence as the protests were a reaction from several segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013, after pressure from Russia.
Read more disinformation cases about Ukraine’s alleged loss of independence and its tuning into a Western colony