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Disinfo: The US does not care about the Baltic states and wants Russia to buy them

Summary

Soon either Donald Trump or his successors will sell the Baltic countries to Russia. The US president, and his supporters, have repeatedly demonstrated that they are not interested in the Baltic states and consider them unimportant. Hence, there is no point for the US not to sell the Baltic states to Russia. The problem is, however, that Russia does not need these countries either. Otherwise it would not end strategic economic cooperation with them. The only thing about the Baltic states that Russia cares about is their NATO membership and the presence of offensive NATO infrastructure on their territory. It seems that the US invests in the development of infrastructure there only with the aim of raising the price of the Baltic states for further bargaining with Russia.

Disproof

This is a conspiracy consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin narratives about lost sovereignty, external control and socio-economic degradation of the Baltic states. Although pro-Kremlin outlets often claim that Baltic states  have lost their sovereignty to the EU, this message alleges that their fate depends on the US's (and Russia's) whims. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are sovereign countries, which determine their own domestic and foreign policies. 

See earlier disinformation cases alleging that the Baltic states pursue anti-Belarusian policies as instructed by external actors, that Lithuania is a "typical dying young democracy", and that the Baltic states are dying because they chose not to be with Russia.

 

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  • Reported in: Issue 161
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19/08/2019
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: Russia, Baltic states, US
  • Keywords: US presence in Europe, Donald Trump, Conspiracy
  • Outlet: Rubaltic.ru Teleskop
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As the US’s vassal state Denmark will have to give up Greenland for free or for a symbolic price

Denmark got frightened after it turned out that Donald Trump was not joking about his intention to purchase Greenland. Trump is not the type of person who can easily be told ‘no’. A catastrophic perspective lies ahead of Denmark as it is one of the US’s allied countries. For them, Trump’s initiatives are offers which cannot be refused. Why would Trump pay for something that he can get for free or for a symbolic price? This would be a shame for such a successful businessman as Donald Trump.

Therefore, Trump can get Greenland by arguing that as a NATO member, Denmark did not pay a penny for its military security. Hence, either Denmark pays billions of dollars for the security provided to it by the Americans over the last 70 years, or it gives up Greenland to the US. This development was logical given that the US does not really have allies as claimed but the vassal states which Washington can bend at any time. They will become victims of American global dominance. If Trump dared to ask Russia to sell its Sakhalin island, the Kremlin could launch a hyper-sonic missile at the White House.

August 25, 2019
Disproof

This is groundless speculation based on recurring lost sovereignty narrative frequently promoted by pro-Kremlin disinformation sources, this time built around the claim that Denmark is a US's vassal country, which will have to please Trump and give up Greenland.

The 2014 Wales Summit Declaration formalised the aim to move towards 2% of GDP spending on defence for all NATO members. Although Denmark is among those NATO countries whose spending has not reached this benchmark, it is not true that Denmark did not pay for defence at all as alleged (see NATO countries defence expenditures for the last years here).

US made a mistake by organising a Maidan coup in Kyiv

The United States made a strategic mistake in organising a Maidan coup in Kyiv. In the sight of not only the Kremlin, Moscow, but also the whole of Russia, the West “took” Ukraine with the help of Banderovtsi, like Hitler in 1941. And Russia set up outposts in the Crimea and the Donbas and received a vaccine from the Maidan.

 

August 25, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Ukraine's statehood which claims that protests were organised by US and the West. A similar case can be found here.

There was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014.

Russia’s membership is necessary for an organization to have a European or global status

At present, it is as hard for the West to “sell” G8 membership to Russia as it was impossible to “sell” Ukraine to Russia after the 2014 coup. This does not mean Russia did not really want to get it. Russia just asked for concrete terms of the deal whereas the West wanted to have its hands free.
For Moscow, it was inconceivable a decade ago to put in question the need to take part in the G8, whereas today, this is reality. Back in the 1990s, Moscow had to seek the West’s favour. At present, the West needs Russia as it has turned into a global leader. Without Russia’s membership, any organisation including the Council of Europe cannot pretend to have European or global status.
August 25, 2019
Disproof

This message is consistent with a number of recurring pro-Kremlin manipulative narratives about the West's decline and imminent collapse, Western disregard for Ukraine, and about the coup in Ukraine in 2014.

It is a conspiracy that the West attempted to "sell" Ukraine to Russia under unclear terms. Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by Western countries but were violated by Russia in 2014.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.