A propaganda post attacks NATO and justifies Russian military aggression against Ukraine

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Senator Tommy Tuberville Photo: Print Screen from video

This article was first published by Truthmeter.mk (North Macedonia), within the framework of Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Project.

NATO is primarily focused on peacefully resolving conflicts, however, if diplomatic efforts fail, NATO has the military capacity to prevent crises and manage operations alone or in cooperation with other states and international organizations 

 

We analyze a Facebook post which shares a video and says: 

NATO, THE BLOODY ALLIANCE OF NATO never defended anyone, it only attacked!!! NATO exists to solve the problems created by NATO’s existence. In order to justify its existence, NATO constantly needs external enemies and conflicts. There are many important facts which the Senator forgot or omitted. First, he did not mention that Victoria Nuland carried out a regime change in Ukraine in 2014. She trained and armed them to the hiltas they are doing bin Taiwan, Israel and now the Philippines. She looked the other way while Ukraine killed more than 14,00 ethnic Russians in Donbas. Refused to sign the Minsk agreements negotiated with the UN. Boris rushed to Kiev when Russia and Ukraine reached a start to a peace agreement. Promising them endless money, weapons and support. “For as long as it takes.” How many thousands more must be murdered by the delusional western globalist elite, to the last Ukrainian? War, wonderful war. Such a profitable business for the merchants of death. The MIC, the bankers and all the politicians involved that benefit from war, at the expense of the MSM dumbed down ignorant taxpayers. For these people, peace is never an option, only endless wars. Humanity is truly sick.

The video shows a speech by U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (from the Republican Party)delivered on the 25th of September 2024. 

…that no up-eastward expansion of NATO towards Russia would ever happen. It was over. At that time, there were 16 NATO members. Today, 33 years later, after this agreement, there are 32 NATO members. Even though in 1991 we agreed to no more eastward expansion, we broke the agreement. We, NATO and the United States. NATO has expanded eastward seven times since that agreement in 1991. The largest expansion in 2024 included two countries that share a border with Russia: Estonia and Latvia. Today, NATO includes three countries that border Russia. Six NATO members are former Warsaw Pact members. The bulk of this expansion happened before Russia annexed Crimea and invaded part of Ukraine in 2014.  

Again, these are all the facts. All play a part in the NATO story and Russia’s response to it. Here’s another fact: NATO’s expansion was on NATO’s terms, separate and apart from any Russian input or activity. Let me read that again. NATO expansion was on NATO’s terms, separate and apart from any Russian input or activity-contrary to Secretary Austin’s claims. Ask yourself: How would the U.S. react if China or Russia entered a mutual defense organization with Mexico or Canada? How would we react? What if they started basing troops or participating in military exercises just miles from our homeland? 

Having covered a brief history of NATO, let’s ask logical follow-up questions that we should always ask before involving ourselves in any armed conflict. First, how far are we willing to take this proxy war with Russia? How far are we? Did we think about that before we got into this? Are we [as] committed to winning as Russia’s President is? Vladimir Putin? Are we committed to winning? What happens if the momentum turns? What happens if it turns against Ukraine and Russia starts making real gains, as it appears is happening today. Will the U.S. send more taxpayer money? More weapons? Will NATO send troops? Will the United States send troops? What’s the plan? 

War is a serious business. We should understand that by now. You don’t half-ass your way into one and certainly don’t half-ass your way out of one. That doesn’t seem to resonate around here.  

Since the Russian offensive began, we have sent more than one $174 billion taxpayer dollars to Ukraine, one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Recently, the Biden-Harris administration announced their intent, their intent, to send an additional $700 million taxpayer dollars to Ukraine in cash. Are you kidding me? 

It is not true that NATO is not a defense alliance and that “it did not defend anyone, it only attacked.” On NATO’s website, all the missions of the Alliance, both past and present, are listed on the following link, along with the reasons that led to them. NATO is primarily committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, but if diplomatic efforts fail, then NATO has the military capacity to prevent crises and manage operations alone or in cooperation with other states and international organizations. For example, the NATO mission in Iraq, began in 2018 at the Brussels Summit, at the request of the Iraqi government and with the coordination of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. It is a non-combat capacity-building mission that aims to strengthen Iraqi security institutions and forces so that they themselves can prevent the return of ISIS, fight terrorism and stabilize their country. All aspects of this mission are carried out with the consent of the Government of Iraq and with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. NATO cooperates with Iraqi security forces under the direct and effective control of the Iraqi government. In February 2021, NATO decided to expand this mission to a wider sector of Iraqi security after receiving a direct request from the Iraqi government. This is just one of many examples of NATO operating at the request and in cooperation with national governments, without attacking, as falsely claimed in the post we are reviewing.  

Another example from the list is the NATO mission in Afghanistan which has ended. After the terrorist attacks in the United States, at the request of the Afghan authorities and with a mandate from the UN, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was formed in 2001. The mission ended in September 2021, and its mission was to establish a new Afghan security force and enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and create an environment for the functioning of democratic institutions, the rule of law, and to prevent Afghanistan of becoming a haven for terrorists again. ISAF contributed to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, through capacity building. This was not an attack, but crisis management. 

ISAF was one of the largest international crisis management operations ever, bringing together contributions from up to 51 different countries. By the end of 2014, the process of transitioning full security responsibility from ISAF troops to the Afghan army and police forces was completed and the ISAF mission came to a close. It was immediately succeeded by a new NATO-led, non-combat mission, Resolute Support, to train, advise, and assist the Afghan security forces and institutions. It was at the formal request of the Afghan governmentsays the NATO website which also adds that in 2021 the mission was terminated after the Allies decided to begin the withdrawal from Afghanistan.  

On the following link you can see all previous historical missions of NATO, as well as the current ones, from which all the reasons for their implementation and all the benefits from them arise. 

The statement that “NATO exists to solve problems of its very existence” resonates extremely well with the Russian narrative that the military invasion launched by Russia in Ukraine is a “response” to NATO expansion. This is also the case with the speech from the post we are reviewing, however, NATO operates with an open-door policy, that is, the states themselves decide whether they want to join the Alliance. Ukraine is a country which has a sovereign and democratically elected government, and Ukrainians want their country to join NATO.  

It is not true that “in order to justify its existence, NATO constantly needs external enemies and conflicts.” NATO began to exist precisely because of those conflicts, for defense and for strengthening positions. It does not seek conflicts, they happen by themselves, and the formation of NATO is a response to them, with the goal of defending and protecting the members. Thus the purposes for which NATO was formed were the defense against the threat of the Soviet Union, along with other reasons for which the Alliance was formed, historically, to stop Soviet expansion and to prevent the resurgence of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent, as well as encouraging European political integration. 

It is not true what is stated in the post that “Victoria Nuland carried out a regime change in Ukraine in 2014, trained and armed Ukrainians.” The “Euromaidan” protests along with the entire movement of the same name in Ukraine against the then President Viktor Yanukovych were a consequence of the rejection of the trade agreement with the EU, in favor of Russia. There is no evidence of a coup instigated by the US or Nuland, as claimed in the post, but rather large demonstrations caused by internal dissatisfaction among citizens with the stance taken by Yanukovych at the timeThe demonstrators were thousands of Ukrainians, and the protests were also due to the dissatisfaction with the corruption and authoritarianism under Yanukovych, so he eventually fled the country. Claims that Nuland orchestrated these events are false. She supported the protests and was involved in aid missions from the US, but she did not create a coup or arm anyone.  

It is not true that Ukraine killed 14 thousand ethnic Russians in Donbas. More than 14,000 people have been killed in the fighting in this region, almost all in the months following Russia’s proxy occupation of the areas in 2014, but 4,400 of those were killed were Ukrainian soldiers and 6,500 were Russian proxy fighters. 

The post said that “Nuland refused to sign the Minsk agreement negotiated with the UN.” Deutsche Welle’s fact-checkers have already debunked claims of this kind that have also come from the Russian top as to why the Minsk agreements failed. 

While the 13 points of the second agreement were never fully implemented, nothing suggests that Ukraine or Western countries had no intention of doing so, writes “Deutsche Welle.” 

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky himself, stated in an interview that he did not see Ukrainian independence as possible under the Minsk agreements. 

The post said that “the West promised them endless money, weapons, and support,” in the sense that they were fueling the war going on in Ukraine. However, the West immediately began appealing in countless ways to Russia to withdraw its troops from an independent and sovereign Ukraine and end the unprovoked military invasion, which did not happen. After that, NATO countries began to support Ukraine in its right to self-defense. The thesis in the post that “it is the globalist elite who are killing every last Ukrainian” is a Russian propaganda platitude, because it was Russia that carried out the invasion without any attack from Ukraine or any NATO country. The post accuses the West of profiting from the deaths in the war in Ukraine, but the war would never have happened if its sovereign territory had not been explicitly attacked, which could also pose a threat to EU countries, which NATO wants to prevent. 

According to NATO’s strategic concept adopted in 2022, Russia is the most significant and direct threat to the security of the Allies and to the peace and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area. 

Russia wants to establish spheres of influence and control other countries through coercion, subversion, aggression and annexation. It uses conventional, cyber and hybrid means—including disinformation—against NATO Allies and partners. NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia. The Alliance will continue to respond to Russian threats and actions in a united and responsible way. We are strengthening our deterrence and defense, supporting our partners, and enhancing our resilience. This includes calling out Russia’s actions and countering disinformation, says NATO’s website.  

This shows that NATO neither wants war, nor “endless wars,” nor profits from them, as is falsely stated in the post we are reviewing. The war in Ukraine has brought numerous human casualties and economic consequences for the whole world, and stopping it is the best option, but the conditions for ending the war have yet to be agreed upon, specified, and accepted by the Ukrainian side.  

Regarding Senator Tommy Tuberville’s speech from the post we are reviewing, the part that “it was promised that there would never be an eastward expansion of NATO towards Russia,” is not true and has been denied on the NATO website. 

The myth that there was a promise by Western leaders not to allow new members to join has been circulating for many years, and is actively used in disinformation campaigns by the Kremlin since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine. 

While records show that in the initial stages of discussions about German reunification, US Secretary of State James Baker and his West German counterpart, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, floated such an idea with each other and with Soviet leaders in 1990, but diplomatic negotiations quickly moved on and the idea was dropped. 

NATO’s founding treaty—signed in 1949 by the 12 original members and by every country that has joined since—includes a clear provision that opens NATO’s door to “any other European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.” This has never changed. No treaty signed by NATO Allies and Russia ever included provisions that NATO cannot take on new members. Decisions on NATO membership are taken by consensus among all Allies. Describing NATO’s open door policy as “expansion” is already part of the myth. NATO did not seek out new members or aim to “expand eastward.” NATO respects every nation’s right to choose its own path. NATO membership is a decision first for those countries that wish to join. It is then for NATO Allies to consider the application, says NATO’s website. 

The claims made in the speech that the war in Ukraine is Russia’s response to “NATO expansion” are propaganda and untrue. 

It was Russia that gradually chipped away at peaceful cooperation, with its pattern of increasingly aggressive behavior, from Grozny to Georgia and Aleppo to Ukraine. NATO Allies engaged in persistent diplomatic efforts to convince Russia to change its course. NATO held the last meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in January 2022 to call on President Putin to step back from the brink. President Putin chose war, says NATO’s website. 

It is also added that “Russia started its war against Ukraine without being threatened by Ukraine or any other European country.” 

Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and proceeded to seize territory in Donetsk and Luhansk. And in 2022, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War 2. Russia has struck hospitals, schools, and shopping malls. Russia bombs civilian power and water infrastructure. Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians. Ukraine has the right, and the responsibility, to protect its people. Self-defense is a fundamental right, which is enshrined in the UN Charter. And NATO has the right to support Ukraine as it seeks to uphold its right to self-defense and to prevail as a sovereign state in Europe. Self-defense and the support of self-defense is in line with international lawwrites NATO. 

It is not true that “NATO is involved in the conflict in Ukraine,” as the speech states, nor that “NATO has expanded without input from Russia,” nor the insinuation that the deployment of NATO troops was a justification for the war. 

Before Russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine in 2014, there was no permanent deployment of multinational NATO troops in the eastern part of the Alliance. As the security environment changed following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and destabilization of eastern Ukraine, NATO suspended practical cooperation with Russia, while maintaining political and military dialogue, and deployed four multinational battlegroups to the Baltic States and Poland in 2016. As a reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO reinforced its deterrence and defense posture. We doubled the number of multinational battlegroups in the east of the Alliance from four to eight. We will continue to do what is needed to protect and defend all Allies. Outside NATO territory, the Alliance has a KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo based on a United Nations Security Council mandate, and a train and assist mission in Iraq contributing to the fight against terrorism at the request of the Iraqi government. Russia’s aggressive actions are undermining international security and stability. As well as its aggression against Ukraine, Russia has military bases and soldiers in Georgia and Moldova without the consent of the government of these countries, writes NATO’s website.

Truthmeter.mk has already debunked claims regarding Western aid to Ukraine. Regarding the statement that Russia was encircled by NATORussia is the largest country, twice the size of the United States and China.  

When Finland joined the NATO Alliance in April 2023, the land border between NATO and Russia was doubled. Even so, it shares only 11 percent of Russia’s land border with NATO countries. 

No one has backed Russia into a corner. It is hard to encircle a country with eleven time zonessays NATO’s website. 

Considering all that has been mentioned above, we assess the post as untrue. 

 


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