Some American media outlets are spreading the message of an alleged misunderstanding between the leaders of the United States and Ukraine.
In particular, CNN, citing sources in the United States and Ukraine, and Politico, citing Puck and NatSec Daily, claim that tensions are growing between Zelenskyy and Biden administration officials. This comes amid disagreements over the interpretation and public coverage of U.S. intelligence assessments that suggest russia may be preparing a large-scale attack on Ukraine. Russian and Ukrainian opposition media are actively spreading American narratives.
For example, official Kyiv believes that immediate sanctions against Nord Stream 2 are needed, rather than persistent verbal warnings of imminent war. Based on this statement, influential American media outlets promote the narrative that “Ukraine is concerned about being used as a pawn in the geopolitical drama between the United States and russia.” It is emphasized that Biden and his advisers were irritated by the public belittling of President Zelenskyy, the threat of a possible russian invasion, and the poorly veiled attacks on the US President personally, who believes that public warnings and threats to russia about “serious consequences” are key to deterring aggression.
As a result, on January 30, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said in an interview with CBS News that in the event of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian Armed Forces, Moscow might not stop at Ukraine: ” Russia threatens the democracy and sovereignty not only of Ukraine, but of other Western countries.”
Russia claims that the United States is to blame for the current situation. The russian leadership has stepped up its rhetoric with the main message that “Ukraine’s accession to NATO will actually undermine relations with the russian federation, as it will be a gross violation of the official political commitment made by the presidents of the United States and other NATO member states.” At the same time, russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov acknowledged that the sanctions verbally threatened by Joe Biden to deter an invasion of Ukraine could destroy the entire russian economy.
