Trump Misleads on Ukraine

This week, U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. After those talks, President Donald Trump repeatedly made false and misleading statements about the conflict and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

FactCheck.org Director Lori Robertson and Deputy Director Robert Farley wrote about several of Trump's claims. 

The most noteworthy among them was Trump's claim that Ukraine "should have never started" the war. He suggested the country could have avoided the conflict by giving up some of its land. As Lori and Rob wrote, "The war started on Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion, two days after Russia recognized two separatist territories in eastern Ukraine as independent states and sent Russian troops into Ukraine’s Donbas region."

Trump's statement drew a rebuke from Mike Pence, his vice president during his first term. 

The president made false claims about aid to Ukraine, saying that the U.S. had given Ukraine “$350 billion,” about double the actual amount of U.S. aid for the country. And he wrongly said the U.S. gave “$200 billion more than Europe.” Europe has given more than the U.S.

Trump also distorted comments Zelenskyy had made to claim that he “admits that half of the money that we sent them is missing.” Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has said that "we have put inspector generals on the ground in Ukraine and here to track that money. So we have a pretty good accounting of where it’s going.”

For more, see the full story: “Trump’s False and Misleading Ukraine Claims.”

Staff Writer Saranac Hale Spencer was interviewed on NPR's "Here & Now" program. The interview aired on Feb. 19. 

Sara talked about stories we have written on claims about U.S. Agency for International Development funding. As we've said in those articles, whether the grants cited are wasteful spending is a matter of opinion, and we take no position on that. But some attacks on the agency have pointed to funding that didn't even come from USAID, and some of the spending has been misrepresented. 

Wrapping Up

Here's what else we've got for you this week:

• Trump Executive Order Targets COVID-19 Vaccines No Longer Required for Most U.S. Students: President Donald Trump this month issued an executive order prohibiting discretionary federal funds from going to schools and colleges or universities that require students to get a COVID-19 vaccine. But there currently are no states that require the vaccines for students, and only a few colleges or universities continue to have such a mandate.