Trump’s Disinformation on War in Ukraine: What’s True and What’s False

Here’s a fact-checked breakdown of his statements.

Claim: The United States has provided $350 billion in aid to Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. has provided around $350 billion in aid to Ukraine expressing concern over the lack of accountability in how the funds are used.

“President Zelenskyy said last week that he doesn’t know where half of the money is that we gave him. We gave them, I believe, $350 billion. But, let’s say it’s something less than that, but it’s a lot. […] Where is all the money that’s been given? I’ve never seen an accounting of it.”

Fact: According to the U.S. Department of State press release on January 20, 2025, the U.S. has provided $65.9 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and approximately $69.2 billion in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

On February 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine has received approximately $76 billion of the $177 billion in aid approved by the United States.

Claim: Zelenskyy’s approval rating had “dropped to 4%”

“Where is the leader in Ukraine? I mean, I hate to say this, but his approval rating has dropped to 4%. The country is in tatters,” Trump told reporters.

Fact: Trump did not explain where such sociological data came from.

According to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll conducted from February 4 to 9, 2025, over half of Ukrainians (57%) trust Zelenskyy, while 37% expressed distrust, and 6% were unsure.

Claim: Ukraine’s current leadership allowed the war to go on

“You have leadership now that’s allowed the war to go on,” Trump said.

“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. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”

Fact: Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2014 and launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, violating fundamental norms and principles of international law.

Moscow is the one responsible for starting and prolonging the war, whereas Ukraine is a sovereign state defending its territory.

On February 18, U.S. intelligence sources cited by NBC stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not genuinely interested in peace negotiations with Ukraine but instead sees them as a tactical maneuver to further his military objectives.