Writer Caitlin Johnston claims in her publication that the war in Ukraine is allegedly being waged due to the actions of the United States and its allies, who are deliberately prolonging the armed confrontation, refusing the possibility of an “easy way out”. She claims that the war could have been easily avoided or ended at the initial stages, but the West, in her opinion, deliberately continues to support military action because this war is beneficial to it. This is written by the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council.

These statements are a classic manipulation, based on several key propaganda techniques and aimed at shifting responsibility for the war from Russia to the West, in particular the United States. The main manipulation is to shift responsibility for the conflict with Russia to the West. However, the real facts clearly indicate that it was Russia that began the aggression against Ukraine in 2014. The Russian army violated international law and the sovereignty of Ukraine, therefore it bears full responsibility for the escalation of the conflict and all war crimes committed in the temporarily occupied territories.

Johnston's account deliberately ignores the background to the aggression, in particular Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Her claims of an “easy way out” completely ignore Russia's role in resolving this war and its refusal to pursue a peaceful settlement through diplomacy. Ukraine is defending its own independence, not acting as a “puppet” of the West, as Russian propaganda portrays it.

The claim that the war will end “easily” is an oversimplification of reality. Russia has repeatedly ignored opportunities for diplomatic solutions and peace talks, issuing ultimatums that are unacceptable to Ukraine. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities and international partners constantly call for a fair peace that respects Ukraine's sovereignty, but Russia continues its aggressive policy and does not demonstrate a real readiness to end the war on such terms.

This rhetoric is aimed at raising doubts about the moral rightness of the actions of the United States and its allies and at increasing anti-American sentiments among certain groups of the population. Caitlin Johnston’s statements reflect the key theses of Russian propaganda that the war in Ukraine is a proxy conflict in which Ukraine is allegedly used as a battlefield for the confrontation between the United States and Russia. This is advantageous for Moscow to justify its own aggression and the impression that Ukraine is not an independent subject of international politics, but only an instrument in the hands of the West. This assertion completely ignores the will of the Ukrainian people to defend their independence.