DISINFO: Washington banned Zelenskyy from negotiating with Russia
SUMMARY
It was Washington that banned Zelenskyy from participating in negotiations with Russia, including by enshrining this in law. Therefore, there is no need to make Russia sit at the negotiating table. They need to correct the criminal mistakes that American liberal Democrats have made.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Ukraine as a puppet state, while at the same time targeting the US Democratic Party. The claim seeks to paint Ukraine as a warmongering US' puppet state.
By making such statements, Moscow is trying to divest itself of any responsibility for the war of aggression against Ukraine and to accuse Ukraine’s Western partners of provoking and prolonging it.
President Zelenskyy previously presented a 10-point peace plan, which was fully supported by the EU, in February 2023. This plan provided for a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine till the internationally recognised borders of 1991 and the restoration of Kyiv’s territorial integrity. While Ukraine is ready for dialogue, based on international law and the UN Charter, Russia is putting forward unacceptable conditions such as recognition of occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia.
The claim that the West is responsible for disrupting the 2022 Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations was debunked previously. See here for details.
For background, read our analysis: The Kremlin’s disinformation narratives about the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, The Kremlin’s twisted tale of peace, and Peace and sudden memory improvement.
Read similar disinformation cases: The West ordered Ukraine to refuse peace talks; The US uses the war in Ukraine to maintain the status of the dollar; Putin’s peace initiative remains the universal recipe to solve the Ukrainian conflict; Ukraine and the US don't need peace; The peace summit is another manifestation of Anglo-Saxons' and their Ukrainian puppets' fraud; Kyiv and the West do not think about peace because they need war.