Africans recruited to work in Russia say they were duped into building drones for use in Ukraine
Associated PressOCT 2024
Zelenskyy Takes 'Victory Plan' on European Tour
Above: Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C), and Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO (R), during a meeting at Downing Street in London, UK, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Image copyright: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Ukraine narrative
Ukraine's ascension to NATO would show Russian Pres. Putin that the continued occupation of Ukraine will leave Moscow lost on the international stage. As Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy has said, Russia must recognize that Europe has borders and independent states, and that every nation has the right to choose its own future.
Pro-Russia narrative
Dragging Ukraine into the NATO military alliance would exacerbate the issues that started this whole conflict in the first place, particularly given NATO's cultivation of Ukrainian nationalism that resulted in a violation of the rights of the country's Russian-speaking citizens. It's impossible to achieve a fair settlement without eliminating the route cause of the conflict.