Thread by @PaulaChertok

😳Putin spokesman Peskov served up #Russia's #propaganda-lies along with demands on CNN today:
❌NATO "guaranteed no political or military expansion" east
❌2014 "coup" in #Ukraine
❌"Gradual NATO invasion" into Ukraine threatens Russia
❌"No Russian troops in Ukraine or Donbas"

Peskov—w/o irony whatsoever—to @FareedZakaria: "You cannot create the security of 1 country at the expense of the security of another"

#Russia is literally demanding dismantling security of 14 COUNTRIES—50% of NATO's 28 European allies—b/c #Ukraine is now an intolerable threat??

@FareedZakaria Zakaria asked the right question: Why now? What's changed? Peskov said it's been building since early 1990s. Well that's not new, so it's not why. What changed is robust democratic movements on Russia's border. Ukraine, even Belarus rose up. Role models threaten kleptocrat Putin.

@FareedZakaria Most propaganda has a kernel of truth. Peskov's right that Russia's been angry re NATO for decades. But NATO isn't invading Europe & Russia is—in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova. And if Russia fears NATO invasion, why not seek guarantees NATO won't invade Russia? Why bring in Ukraine?

@FareedZakaria #Russia's demands are specifically about #Ukraine. The absurd ones make these less so.

Putin wants Ukraine's strongest ally to dash its NATO hopes—in writing. That serves Russia's core goal: Divide allies, show US as unreliable, democracies as untrustworthy, demoralize Ukraine.

@FareedZakaria Peskov admits the core of #Russia's proposal is #Ukraine & NATO. Membership isn't even on the table. But Russians are masters of reflexive control—getting us to offer their ideas. Zakaria states a "possible compromise": a written guarantee that Ukr won't join NATO for some years.

https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria/status/1482792267542929413

@FareedZakaria Here's where Peskov lies about #Russia's troops. He calls them "peacekeepers" preventing crisis in "fragile" Moldova and Georgia. Then he repeats the big lie about Russian troops in Ukraine. When Zakaria pushes back, Peskov lets out a laugh, as if involuntarily belying his lies😅

https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria/status/1482796042600923138

@FareedZakaria Watch Peskov's intense gaslighting about #sanctions. He says sanctions never solve problems. Says sanctions actually boosted #Russia's economy. But threatens to break ties if Putin & Kremlin officials—including him!—are sanctioned. Pretty clear Peskov fears new tougher sanctions.

https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria/status/1482798559359549447