The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has issued a series of statements regarding Ukraine and its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which are often controversial and, at times, misleading or completely false. He has also praised the advancements in US-Russia discussions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here, we examine his assertions.
Regarding Ukraine’s Role in Initiating the War
“But today I heard: ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it three years ago. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
The Facts: The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was unprovoked and has received widespread condemnation from the international community as an aggressive act.
Leading up to Russia’s invasion on 24 February 2022, Zelenskyy had consistently expressed a willingness to meet with his Russian counterpart, stating just five days before the invasion: “We are ready to sit down and speak. Pick the platform that you like.”
To dissuade Moscow from proceeding with its plans, the US released declassified intelligence reports highlighting Russia’s intended attack and warned of severe economic sanctions if they went ahead.
In the aftermath of the invasion, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators engaged in several discussions in Belarus and Turkey. However, Russia’s demands were excessive, including the partial demilitarization of Ukraine, which would significantly impair the country’s future defense capabilities.
Former UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace characterized Trump’s claims as “straight out of the Kremlin talking points.”
Zelenskyy is Extremely Unpopular and Preventing Elections
“We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine. Well, we have martial law, essentially martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating and where a country has been blown to smithereens. You got most of the cities are laying on their sides.”
The Facts: Although Zelenskyy’s approval has waned since the onset of the full-scale invasion, a February survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology revealed that 57% of Ukrainians expressed trust in the president, an increase from 52% in December.
Polling suggests that the majority of Ukrainians, including those critical of Zelenskyy, believe that the timing is inappropriate for elections.
“Our position is that during a war, there is no room for politics – especially not for elections,” stated Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, a member of parliament from the Fatherland party of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and a former head of the SBU security service.
He added: “It would be the end for Ukraine. To start political or election activities would mean Putin’s victory the next day.”
The US Provides More Assistance to Ukraine than Europe
“They need to determine where the money is going. I believe President Zelenskyy stated last week that he doesn’t know where half of the funds we provided him are. We have given them, I believe, $350bn [£278bn], but let’s say it’s something less than that. Nevertheless, it’s substantial, and we need to balance out with Europe because Europe has contributed significantly less.”
“I think Europe has contributed $100bn while we’ve provided, let’s say, $300-plus. It’s more crucial for them than for us; we have an ocean separating us, and they don’t. But where has all the money gone? I have yet to see a clear accounting of it. We disburse hundreds of billions of dollars.”
The Facts: There are various figures circulating, as different methods are applied to measure individual contributions.
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Ukraine Support Tracker indicates that Europe, comprising the EU and its member states, has allocated €132.3bn (£109.6bn/$137.9bn) for Ukraine, surpassing €114.2bn from the US. It has also pledged an additional €115bn, according to the tracker.
Germany and the UK are the largest contributors among individual nations, following the US.
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Estonia and Denmark contributed the largest amounts relative to GDP (2.5%), followed by Lithuania (2.1%), Latvia (1.8%), Finland (1.3%), and Sweden and Poland (1.2%).
On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized to US-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg the “critical role of the EU in maintaining Ukraine’s financial stability and defense”, specifically noting, “more than any other ally.”
Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that in 2024, “NATO allies provided over €50bn in security assistance to Ukraine – with nearly 60% of this coming from Europe and Canada.”
Wallace also called out Trump on X for his statements, branding them “genuine fake news”, asserting that “in fact, Europe has given more” than the US.
Wallace noted: “A significant portion of the aid has, in fact, been utilized by donor nations to replace gifted military equipment. Therefore, some large sums are merely ‘spin.’ The US, for example, has sent only $100bn of the $175bn as direct aid to Ukraine, having allocated at least $25bn for its own replenishment.”
Russia is Not Utilizing Its Full Military Strength in Ukraine
“Russia does not intend to destroy Kyiv; if they had wanted to, they would have done it. Russia is capable of completely annihilating Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, but currently, they are only engaging at 20% capacity.”
The Facts: Russia has unleashed its full military capabilities – including missiles and long-range artillery – against Ukrainian cities, leading to widespread devastation, especially in the eastern region.
As their stockpiles diminish, Moscow has resorted to North Korean missiles, which continue to hit Ukrainian cities. There is no evidence suggesting that Russia is conserving its weaponry or restraining its military capabilities in this conflict.
Russia Aims to End the War
“Well, I feel much more confident [about the talks]. They were very positive. Russia intends to do something. They want to stop the savage barbarism.”
The Facts: Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have consistently asserted that they will not cease hostilities in Ukraine until all objectives set by Moscow are fulfilled – whether through diplomatic negotiation or military action.
Putin has previously insisted on the “demilitarization of Ukraine” and has expressed a desire for full control over four eastern and southern regions: Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk, all of which are currently under Russian occupation.
Recent intelligence from the US and allied nations, as reported in US media on Tuesday, indicates that Putin remains intent on exerting control over all of Ukraine, according to four Western intelligence officials and two US congressional representatives.
