DISINFO: The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine calls for friendship with Russia
SUMMARY
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine calls for friendship with Russia. Kyiv is confident that cooperation with Russia will resume after Ukraine stops the punitive operation in Donbas.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative aiming to present Ukraine as the aggressor in its Eastern region, Donbas.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak did not make any "calls for friendship with Russia". His words were quoted incorrectly and manipulatively.
Khomchak said that Ukraine will have to build a relationship with the Russian Federation in the future: "If the war ends, if certain political decisions are made, then we will have to build relations with our 'neighbour', the Russian Federation, over time. There is no getting away from this. However, Russia must answer for all crimes against the civilian population and military personnel of Ukraine. For every destroyed house, broken lives and lost lives of our people."