Ukraine’s offensive derails secret efforts for partial cease-fire with Russia, officials say
Washington PostAUG 2024
The Russia-Ukraine War
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Putin's invasion of Ukraine was an egregious violation of international law. His ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution a "coup." This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history. The West has a moral obligation to support Ukraine in securing a crippling defeat that will prevent Russia from ever again invading its neighbors.
Establishment-critical narrative
Putin may have launched the war, but responsibility for provoking it lies squarely with the West. The US and NATO have ignored Russia's security concerns and broken their promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and should have been taken seriously. In its hegemonic attempt to bring Ukraine closer to the E.U. and make it a pro-America democracy, the West has created an extremely dangerous situation.
Cynical narrative
While the West purports to want to help Ukraine, in reality it is simply using it as a sacrificial pawn on its imperial chessboard. The "support" provided to Kyiv is nothing more than the latest attempt in the United States' long history of trying to draw Russia into grueling conflicts that use up its military firepower while decimating it financially and isolating it politically. The ultimate goal is to prolong the war to weaken Russia and hurt its geostrategic interests, not save Ukraine.