De-coding the myth of NATO expansionism
The Verdict False
This was based on a mistranslation. Ulf Kristersson said the opposite: that there was no reason for having nuclear weapons in Sweden in peacetime.
Category Treaties & agreements
Was Russia ready to sign a peace treaty with Ukraine in 2022?
Putin's claims that a treaty was ready and acceptable for Ukraine in the spring of 2022 but was rejected by Ukraine are highly unlikely. The documents displayed at the June 17 meeting are likely to have been working drafts. The positions of the parties were too far apart, and Russia was not likely to abide by a ceasefire. A treaty would have to be signed by the presidents, and subject to a referendum in Ukraine.
Did Ukraine Give Up Nukes for Russia, U.S. Security Guarantees?
The Budapest Memorandum, signed in December 1994, resulted in Ukraine voluntarily handing over its nuclear arsenal, as well as other military stocks and munitions, to Russia.
In exchange, Moscow vowed to respect Ukraine's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.
The U.S. and the U.K. were among the co-signatories, but stopped short of providing "guarantees" (which would have entailed a direct military intervention) and instead offered "assurances," a term that left some wiggle room for a response to potential aggression from Moscow.
No, Ukraine does not have nuclear bombs or “dirty bombs”
Ukraine does not have a nuclear bomb or a "dirty bomb," according to experts and watchdogs.
The country used to have Soviet-era nuclear weapons but returned them to Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Ukraine also dismantled or destroyed its nuclear missiles and silos. Its nuclear materials are now used for peaceful purposes.
Experts and watchdogs say Ukraine has neither a nuclear bomb nor a "dirty bomb." Ukraine used to have nuclear weapons but it transferred them to Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed and dismantled or destroyed its nuclear missiles and silos. The nation's nuclear materials are now used for peaceful purposes.
We rate the post False.
Manipulation: Ukrainians are “Tired of War” and Beg the Government to Negotiate
The petition on the Ukrainian President's website calling to resume the negotiation process with Russia does not reflect Ukrainian public opinion. Despite a certain degree of fatigue and constant attacks by Russia, Ukrainians remain united in their determination not to make any concessions to the aggressor. According to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) poll conducted between July 6 and July 20, 84% of Ukrainians are not ready to make territorial concessions in order to end the war.
Fake: NATO Chief says Alliance Preparing for War with Russia for Eight Years
Jens Stoltenberg has never said anything about any eight-year preparation for war with Russia, nor about NATO's plans to "attack" Russia. The NATO Secretary General talked about the foundations of European security, which the Kremlin undermined in 2014 by occupying Ukrainian Crimea and seizing parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Fake: Politico: West Wants Urgent Peace Treaty with Russia Because Ukraine Is In for…
The Politico newspaper, which Russian media claims published a story about an imminent peace treaty between the West and the Russian Federation, does not have a single article on this topic. Quite the contrary, the publication quotes many Western politicians who say that the United States and the European Union are committed to long-term support for Ukraine and do not see a possible to end the war in the near future.
Fake: EU May Deport Ukrainians for Military Mobilization in Ukraine
Ukrainian citizens cannot be deported as they entered the European Union legally, forced into the move because of Russia's invasion.
Fact-checking Putin’s Victory Day speech
A nuclear threat from Ukraine? A Ukrainian invasion of Crimea? Ukrainian neo-Nazis? Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 9 speech contained new and familiar accusations amid the war in Ukraine. Most of them are false.
Fake: Borrell for Resolving Conflict in Ukraine Militarily
Josep Borrell is proposing tougher sanctions to pressure Russia to stop its war crimes in Ukraine. He sees increased weapons supplies to Ukraine as a way of helping Kyiv protect its territory and its people from Russian army attacks and notes that Ukraine will definitely prevail.