Category Aid to Ukraine

Marjorie Taylor Greene distorts Zelenskyy’s comments about sending US troops to war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not say this. During a February press conference, Zelenskyy predicted that if Ukraine loses the war, Russia will then invade a country that's a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member, forcing the U.S. to defend its allies.

Ukraine borders four NATO member countries, but it is not part of the military alliance.

Their ruling:

Greene claimed that Zelenskyy said he wants America's "sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine."

Zelenskyy did not say that.

During a press conference, he predicted that if Ukraine loses the war, Russia will invade a NATO member country next. If that happens, Zelenskyy said, Americans would be required to "send their sons and daughters" to war because of NATO's mutual defense treaty.

He did not mention U.S. troops going to Ukraine.

We rate this claim False.

Zelenskyy wasn’t talking about Ukraine war when he said U.S. would send ‘sons and daughters’

A video clip of Ukraine's president is going viral, with some on social media claiming Zelenskyy said the U.S. would send soldiers to fight in Ukraine. That's false.

Social Media Posts Misrepresent Zelenskyy’s Remarks on U.S. Military Involvement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted that if Russia’s invasion of his country is successful, it will invade nearby NATO countries, triggering a war involving the U.S. military. Some conservative commentators misleadingly claimed that he’d called upon the U.S. to “send their sons and daughters to war for Ukraine and potentially die.”

March 2, 2023
Disinformation Escalation / WWIII Fact checks / debunkings Military aid Misconceptions Ukraine USA

Viral video of Biden saying he’s reinstating the draft is a deepfake

In the video, President Joe Biden appears to say he's reinstating the draft so the U.S. can help defend Ukraine against Russian forces. The video is a deepfake.

Here’s how we debunked these fake anti-Ukraine advertisements – The Observers

Since the end of 2022, the FRANCE 24 Observers team has seen several similar examples of fake anti-Ukraine advertisements, reportedly on billboards in the United States and Poland. But when we took a closer look, we found some clues that convinced us these ads were fake and that the videos were edited.

Fake: Zelensky Urges Americans to Fight for Ukraine

An out of context excerpt from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's
press conference is being circulated online by Russian and US social media
users, claiming that he is calling on Americans to fight for Ukraine.
Answering questions during a press conference dedicated to the first
anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky said that
if Ukraine fails to stop Russia, then NATO countries will have to do it,
because capturing Ukraine will not stop Russia's expansionist policies
regarding its neighboring countries, including NATO members.

Dilapidated train track is in years-old image and isn’t close to East Palestine derailment site

The image in the widespread photo is from a 6-year-old video that showed an old railway in Ohio. It had already been fixed by the time the Feb. 3 derailment happened in East Palestine.

The Biden-Harris administration announced plans to help railway infrastructure in Ohio, including managing $4 billion to improve rail safety.

A Facebook post said a photo of a dilapidated railroad track shows "what railways in Ohio look like while we send $40 billion to Ukraine."

The image used in the post comes from a 6-year-old video, and that railway has since been fixed.

We rate this claim False.

February 23, 2023
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Palestine USA

Video of Biden saying some U.S. aid could support Ukrainian pensions is from April 2022

President Biden did say some U.S. aid to Ukraine could go to social support, like helping with pensions. The viral video clip is from 2022.

Posts Misquote Biden’s Year-Old Remarks on Tanks for Ukraine

President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 25 that the U.S. would provide Ukraine with 31 tanks. After the announcement, a meme on social media misquoted Biden’s remarks from March 2022, suggesting he said that sending tanks to Ukraine would cause World War III. Biden said sending weapons “with American pilots and American crews” would cause a world war.

February 13, 2023
Aid to Ukraine Disinformation Escalation / WWIII Fact checks / debunkings Military aid Misconceptions Ukraine USA

Manipulation: Bill Gates: Ukraine Is World’s Biggest Danger

Bill Gates did not say that in the coming years Ukraine will be the greatest danger for the world. In an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, the well-known philanthropist stressed that war is a "terrible tragedy" for the country where hostilities are taking place, but the echoes of this war also reverberate throughout the world. In particular, African countries are now receiving less attention because European budgets are being reallocated to other needs brought on by the pandemic, the war, and the energy crisis.