Category Aid to Ukraine

FactChecking Pence’s Presidential Announcement

Pence gave the misleading impression that the Obama administration gave Ukraine no "military resources at all" after Russia's 2014 invasion. The U.S. provided nonlethal military aid, including training, vehicles and radar equipment.

The former vice president misleadingly accused the Biden administration of "giving Russia back a Nord Stream 2 deal," referring to a Russian natural gas pipeline to Germany that remains inoperable and under U.S. sanctions.

June 8, 2023
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings Germany International community Russia Ukraine USA

FactChecking Chris Christie’s Presidential Announcement

Christie repeated the misleading claim that Barack Obama only provided "blankets" and "human rights aid" after Russia invaded regions of Ukraine in 2014. Obama's administration also provided Ukraine with nonlethal military aid, including training, vehicles and radar equipment.

He claimed that President Joe Biden initially said that "a small incursion" by Russia into Ukraine in 2022 "probably wouldn't be a problem." Biden said "Russia will be held accountable" for an invasion, but the U.S. response would depend on what Russia did.

June 7, 2023
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings International community Russia Ukraine USA

Video misrepresents US senator’s comments on Russia-Ukraine war

In a video shared online, Senator Lindsey Graham appears to tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "the Russians are dying" and that is "the best money" the US has ever spent. But the clip is edited; the full footage shows Graham did not make the statements consecutively.

No evidence Mexican cartel obtained US weapons destined for Ukraine

Social media users are claiming Mexican TV reported that anti-tank missile systems the United States sent to Ukraine ended up in the hands of a Mexican cartel. This is false; the claims are based on a mistranslation of the segment, which showed a man sporting apparent gang insignia carrying the same type of military-grade weapon used in Ukraine -- but did not say the artillery was diverted from Kyiv.

This is the ‘America First’ case for supporting Ukraine

The lesson of the 20th century is that putting “America First” requires us to project strength and deter our enemies from launching wars of aggression — so that U.S. troops to don’t have to fight and die in another global conflagration. The invasion in Ukraine was a failure of deterrence. Only by helping Ukraine win can we prevent further deterrence failures.

If we help Ukraine prevail, we can rewrite the narrative of U.S. weakness; restore deterrence with China; strike a blow against the Sino-Russian alliance; decimate the Russian threat to Europe; increase burden-sharing with our allies; improve our military preparedness for other adversaries; stop a global nuclear arms race; dissuade other nuclear states from launching wars of aggression; and make World War III less likely.

The “America First” conclusion: Helping Ukraine is a supreme national interest.

May 30, 2023
Aid to Ukraine China Escalation / WWIII European Union Germany International community Misconceptions NATO Ukraine USA

Fake: One Third of Annual Patriot Missile Production Destroyed in Ukraine

Without providing any evidence, anonymous sources are claiming that one third of the Patriot missiles produced annually are being destroyed in Ukraine. There are over 240 Patriot systems in 18 different countries in total (with Ukraine being the 19th), and thousands of missiles with different characteristics are produced for them. This sprint American defense companies have also signed additional contracts with the US Army for the production of Patriot missile systems components.

Fake: ICEYE Satellite Purchased by Ukrainians is Used for News Broadcasting

Ukrainian journalists have not published any investigations regarding the ICEYE satellite purchased by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation through donations from Ukrainians. Satellites for television signal transmission and the ICEYE operate in different orbits and serve different purposes.

Does This Video Show NATO Troops in Ukraine? | Snopes.com

Because the video predates Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and because it was filmed in Afghanistan, we rate the version claiming that it shows a build-up of NATO forces in Ukraine "Miscaptioned."

Fake: Greece Opposes Supplying Ukraine with Weapons

Greece pledged military assistance to Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression. The country's defense minister has stated that Greece 'will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.'

Parties in Kyiv nightclubs in the midst of war? Watch out for these misleading images

A video compilation that has been circulating since May 3 claims to show that - despite the warÂ - the party is in full swing in Kyiv's nightclubs, taking advantage of foreign donations to Ukraine's war effort. Most of these images date from before the war, however, and some of the establishments where they were filmed have been closed since the conflict began in February 2022.