Trump Spreads Falsehoods About Ukraine War Amid Diplomatic Efforts

In the wake of high-level diplomatic discussions between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, former President Donald Trump has made a series of demonstrably false claims about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump falsely stated that Ukraine “started” the war with Russia, suggesting the country could have avoided conflict through negotiations. This narrative directly contradicts the historical record, which clearly shows Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, following months of military buildup along the border and despite repeated denials of invasion plans from the Kremlin.

Jeffrey Mankoff, senior associate with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted in an April 2022 report that while Putin cited numerous grievances to justify the attack, the “fundamental issue” was Russia’s rejection of “the legitimacy of Ukrainian identity and statehood.”

Even Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence publicly contradicted his former boss, writing on social media: “Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.”

Trump’s claims about U.S. financial support for Ukraine were equally misleading. He repeatedly cited a figure of $350 billion in U.S. aid—approximately double the actual amount. According to the Congressional Research Service, Congress has appropriated about $174.2 billion in aid for Ukraine since 2022, a figure corroborated by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The former president also wrongly claimed the U.S. has provided “$200 billion more than Europe.” Data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows that as of December 31, 2023, European countries had collectively allocated 132.3 billion euros for Ukraine, while the U.S. had allocated 114.2 billion euros. Europe’s contributions exceed America’s in total aid, though the U.S. leads slightly in military assistance specifically.

Another misleading claim from Trump suggested that Zelenskyy “admits that half of the money that we sent them is missing.” This distorts comments Zelenskyy made to the Associated Press on February 2, in which the Ukrainian president questioned inflated figures about U.S. aid, saying Ukraine had received about $75 billion in tangible assistance rather than the $200 billion sometimes claimed.

Contrary to Trump’s implication of missing funds, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s own special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, stated in a February interview that inspector generals have been tracking the money with “a pretty good accounting of where it’s going.”

Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explained that much of the aid never passes through Ukrainian control. Approximately 90% of Ukraine military aid is spent in the United States, with funds going toward replacing equipment from U.S. stockpiles, training Ukrainian forces, and providing intelligence support.

Trump also referred to Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” who “refuses to have Elections.” This characterization ignores crucial context: Ukraine is under martial law following the Russian invasion, and Article 19 of Ukraine’s martial law legislation explicitly prohibits conducting national elections during such periods. These legal provisions predate both Zelenskyy’s presidency and Russia’s 2022 invasion.

While Zelenskyy’s five-year presidential term would normally end in spring 2024, the ongoing war and occupation of nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory create substantial practical and security barriers to holding elections.

Trump’s claim that Zelenskyy has only “4% approval” contradicts polling data. A recent survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy, while a University of Manchester poll put his approval rating at 63%.

In response to Trump’s series of false statements, Zelenskyy told reporters on February 19 that the former president was “caught in a web of disinformation.”