DISINFO: Zelenskyy is trying to provoke a conflict between NATO and Russia
SUMMARY
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to provoke a conflict between NATO and Russia. [Zelenskyy] was a little rude to his curators, accusing them of inaction. He was upset that NATO did not stand up for him the way he hoped it would, but he still hoped for a settlement of the conflict by involving NATO in this whole story, and not through negotiations. It turns out that he still seeks to provoke a conflict.
RESPONSE
The claim is part of an emerging pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign aimed at justifying the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, consistent with the recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukrainian statehood, portraying Ukraine as a non-sovereign country, as a puppet of the West.
On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on multiple fronts, as footage, foreign correspondents, social media, local journalists and citizen witnesses have proven beyond any doubt. Vladimir Putin launched a war, what he called a special military operation against Ukraine citing NATO’s military infrastructure approaching the Russian border as a pretext. The invasion was followed by airstrikes on military objects. Russian troops later started bombing and shelling civilian targets as well.
Russian troops are heavily shelling and bombing residential areas, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, orphanages, churches and other civilian objects. The Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has been the most damaged city in Ukraine. Russian troops are using cluster and vacuum bombs, which is banned by international conventions. Russian soldiers and saboteurs kill civilians.
It is absurd to claim that the President of Ukraine wants a conflict between NATO and Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recently called for direct talks with Putin, arguing "it is the only way to stop this war."
Moreover, NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. The alliance does not attempt to contain Russia, even more so, to wage war with Russia.