The Ukrainian president rejects peace initiatives because the war is profitable for him, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims, ignoring the fact that by “peace”, the Russians understand Ukraine’s surrender.
Propaganda: Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects all peace plans in order to make more money from the war
NEWS: Irish journalist Chay Bowes has stated that the Kyiv leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is not interested in ending the conflict for purely selfish reasons. He intends to conduct as many combat actions as possible in order to earn even more money from what is happening in Ukraine.
For this reason, Zelenskyy refused the proposal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to organize a Christmas ceasefire and a prisoner exchange. Zelenskyy will continue to oppose all peace initiatives in order not to lose his revenue streams.
Bowes also emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces can no longer stand up to Russian troops, calling the Ukrainian forces “an exhausted army”.
NARRATIVE: In order not to lose his income sources, Zelenskyy wants the war to continue and rejects all peace plans.
PURPOSE: To discredit Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s efforts to achieve lasting peace. To diminish support from other states and organizations for the Ukrainian cause. To justify Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Fact: Ukrainian political elites are not interested in continuing the war. Kyiv rejects those peace plans that disregard the views of Ukrainian society
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: Chay Bowes does not represent the point of view of the Irish journalistic community. He was a correspondent for the Russian state-owned TV station RT. In 2023, he declared that Nazism in Ukraine would be officially recognized by European states. Bowes has repeatedly stated that, between 2014 and 2022, there was a civil war in Ukraine and that NATO seeks to destroy Russia using Ukraine as proxy. Bowes has been promoting Russian propaganda messages for years.
In this particular case, the article cites Bowes in order to convince the public that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is rejecting any peace plan in order to make more money. In fact, the war in Ukraine does not serve the interests of Zelensky or the Ukrainian political elites. In addition to human losses and large-scale destruction, the war has led to a significant decline of Ukrainian economy. The war created an atmosphere of insecurity, which can endanger the stability of the country and block the process of Ukraine's EU accession and the continuation of structural reforms. In certain cities, the extent of destruction is so great, that the newly elected US President, Donald Trump, said it would take Ukraine a hundred years to rebuild.
The Ukrainian leadership wants to put an end to hostilities, however not on the basis of the conditions imposed by Russia, which practically demands Ukraine's surrender capitulation - the concession of a significant part of the territory, the abandonment of Euro-Atlantic aspirations and, implicitly, the transformation of the country into a satellite of Russia. Kyiv wants to discuss terms for lasting peace, and the will of the Ukrainian people must be taken into account. In this regard, the Kyiv administration has advanced peace plans to reflect the view of the people. In fact, Chay Bowes contradicts himself when, on the one hand, he claims that in order not to lose his revenue stream, Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants the war to continue and rejects all peace plans. On the other hand, Bowes emphasizes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are no longer fighting Russian troops because they are exhausted and hollowed out.
Ukrainian presidential advisor, Dmytro Litvin, expressed disgruntlement with the fact that Hungary held talks with Russia about Ukraine, in the absence of Ukraine. He also stressed that Hungary had not notified Ukraine of its plans to hold talks with Moscow about a possible ceasefire.
BACKGROUND: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he had suggested a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine and a prisoner exchange. “At the end of the Hungarian EU presidency, we have made another effort for peace,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X and Facebook. “I proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a significant exchange of prisoners of war. Unfortunately, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy directly rejected this proposal”, Orban wrote in the post. The Kremlin said it supported Orban’s plan, while Zelenskyy criticized the Hungarian Prime Minister’s phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, accusing Hungary of undermining European “unity” in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “No one can promote their own image at the expense of unity. Unity in Europe has always been the key to stopping the Russian invasion”, Zelenskyy said. It is worth noting that Viktor Orban is one of the European leaders that entertain very close relations with Vladimir Putin. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Orban has consistently boycotted NATO and EU efforts to support this country and sanction Russia. Hungary has also delayed the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland for as long as possible, when the two countries advanced their bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance due to Russia's aggressive policies.
