Ukraine Refutes Tucker Carlson’s False Claims on Arms Sales to Mexican Cartels

American far-right, pro-Russian political commentator Tucker Carlson claimed on his show that Ukraine is selling 50% of the weapons provided by the US to Mexican cartels. According to Carlson, “this is not just a speculation, but a fact,” further alleging that American intelligence agencies “are fully aware of it and profiting from it.”

Carlson could not provide any evidence to support his claims, stating, “Can’t prove that, but I believe it.”

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), part of the National Security and Defense Council, refuted Carlson’s claim in a statement on Telegram.

“This is an old fake that Russian sources have been spreading since 2022, which the Center previously debunked in its analytical report The Black Market Weapons,” the statement read.

The CCD pointed out that on August 1, 2022, Russian media and Telegram channels, citing Mexico’s Milenio Televisión, falsely reported that Ukrainian weapons had been sold to the Golfo drug cartel. The report mentions dozens of American M136 grenade launchers, AK-47 rifles, and Javelin anti-tank systems that the US supplied to Ukraine. According to the Mexican channel, Javelins can supposedly be found on the “black market,” where their price ranges from $20,000 to $60,000.

The report's host made an error, mistakenly referring to the M136 AT4 grenade launcher as a Javelin. The AT4 grenade launcher has been in mass production since the 1980s, with over 600,000 units manufactured to date.

“The cost of such a grenade launcher is $1,500–2,000, and it was purchased on the North American black market, not supplied from Europe or Ukraine,” the CCD clarified.

The Center also emphasized that all arms deliveries and usage are strictly monitored by international partners.

According to CCD experts, the spread of such disinformation aims to discredit Ukraine on the global stage while using a sensational topic to boost engagement with Carlson’s content.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Tucker Carlson of spreading pro-Russian narratives, stating that Carlson deliberately promotes Kremlin propaganda and misleads the public.