FAKE NEWS: The West and Ukraine do not want peace in Donbass

The publications refer to a meeting organized by the Russian delegation at the UN, which was also attended by representatives of the separatists and some permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council who, in this way, reportedly showed their support for Moscow’s initiative.

 News:  Germany, France and Ukraine admit they need the war in Donbass.  "The delegations of Germany, France and Ukraine not only did not participate in a UN event organized for the first time by Russia, attended by representatives of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DNR and LNR), but also convinced other countries to boycott it, thus confirming their lack of interest in peacebuilding in Donbass [...] DNR and LNR for the first time at the UN. All attempts by Ukrainians and European diplomats to interrupt the meeting were in vain. 2 out of 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia and China) and 7 out of 10 non-permanent members (Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, South Africa) attended the meeting, while Germany, Belgium and Estonia boycotted the event. Also present were Belarus, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, India, Syria, Venezuela and Vanuatu. In her speech, [the representative of the foreign ministry of DNR] Natalyia Nikonorova stressed that initially there were no intentions in Donetsk to secede from Ukraine and proclaim an independent state - the establishment of local authorities and a referendum on the status of the region were a reaction to the February 2014 coup in Kiev and the "direct massacre, the purge" targeting the disobedient in Odessa and Mariupol.”

 The news was distributed on social networks and carried by the online press funded by Moscow, under different headlines.  

The Donetsk leaders described DNR’s and LNR’s participation in the UN Security Council  

 NARRATIVES:

1. Germany, France and Ukraine have admitted they need the war in Donbass as they did not participate in an event organized by Russia and the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass on building a lasting peace in the region.
2. Except for several states in the West, which are interested in maintaining the war, the international community applauded at the UN the efforts made by Russia, DNR and LNR to sow the seeds of peace and forge friendly relations with Ukraine.
3. A coup was staged in Ukraine, followed by a purge against those who opposed it.
4. The separatist movements in Donbass emerged as a reaction to the coup and purge.

 BACKGROUND: Following the overthrow of the Yanukovych regime, the Russian Federation intervened in Ukraine by invading and annexing Crimea and supporting a separatist movement in the Russian-speaking east. The separatist forces managed to win the war with the Ukrainian army thanks to direct help from Moscow, which provided both military equipment and actual troops. Russia is trying to legitimize internationally the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. The "Arria Formula" meeting (an informal format in which a member of the Security Council organizes meetings to which they invite other members, who are not obliged to participate, and has the right to invite people who do not have an official UN status, such as experts, NGOs, etc.) was used by the Moscow-funded and the local media in Lugansk and Donetsk to show that the leaders of the so-called Donbass republics are holding talks at the UN with global leaders, but not with all of them though, because some states such as Germany, France and the United States "cynically" maintain the "civil conflict" in Ukraine. Kiev did not acknowledge in any way the need to initiate a dialogue with the DNR and the LNR, considering these republics created by Russia as separatist entities, supported by Moscow financially, militarily and administratively. Russian experts have interpreted Kiev's reaction as "a refusal" to listen to the independent voice of the Donbass and the suffering of the people, who are forced to defend themselves from the "Kiev junta". In May 2020, Russia tried to organize an online conference at the UN, with the participation of Crimeans, in response to a meeting held by Ukraine, where the international community condemned the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula by Russia.

PURPOSE: To disseminate the narrative according to which the Ukrainian authorities do not want to take into account the real voice of Donbass, while the DNR and LNR leaders are gradually gaining international recognition and are even invited to the UN, where they present official reports. WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The "Arria Formula" is a conference that does not entail signing protocols, minutes and decision-making; its purpose is to enable members of the Security Council to be informed. In no case does the Arria formula imply a recognition of DNR and LNR as subjects of international law, but nevertheless an attempt was made to defend the idea that their presence at the discussions was a form of legitimization. The West has consistently spoken out for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and there are accepted formats for resolving the Donbass conflict (Normandy format). The refusal of international delegations to be present at the event is only a reaction to attempts to legitimize internationally unrecognized structures.

GRAIN OF TRUTH: The Russian delegation to the UN organized an “Arria Formula” meeting, which some members of the UN Security Council did not attend. Of the participating states, China and Indonesia stated they supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and Belarus reiterated its support for the peace efforts in Ukraine.

OFFICIAL REACTIONS: The Ukrainian side refused to attend the informal meeting, stressing that it was a Russian provocation and a failed attempt to legitimize the Russian-funded separatists. Ukraine's foreign ministry called the meeting organized by the Kremlin a Russian "PR campaign" designed to "manipulate international platforms and formats into spreading propaganda." In addition to Ukraine, the delegations of the United States, the United Kingdom, Estonia, France, Germany and Belgium refused to attend the informal meeting. A joint statement by the United States, the United Kingdom and Estonia stressed that they did not support the Kremlin's attempts to legalize the occupation of Ukrainian territories.