Category International community

Have gasoline prices fallen to pre-Ukraine war levels, as Joe Biden said?

According to the most recent weekly data, the cost of a gallon of gasoline is $3.53. That's exactly the same as it was just days before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Our ruling
Biden said, "Gas prices are down back to where they were before Russia invaded Ukraine."

Gas prices didn't start increasing with the onset of the war, but the most recent weekly price data shows the cost of a gallon of gasoline at $3.53, which is exactly the same as it was just days before Russia invaded Ukraine.

We rate the statement True.

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FTX helped with a cryptocurrency fundraising site, but there’s no connection to U.S. aid to Ukraine

FTX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Nov. 11 it had filed for bankruptcy. Sam Bankman-Fried resigned as the company's CEO. He is a large donor to Democrats, but has also given to Republicans.

FTX partnered with a fundraising site called Aid for Ukraine, where people can donate cryptocurrency to help the country's war effort. FTX's role in the project was to facilitate the conversion of cryptocurrency into regular currency.

There's no evidence that U.S. aid money sent to Ukraine was then used to invest in FTX. Most U.S. aid doesn't go directly to the Ukrainian government, but rather through third parties like contractors or humanitarian groups.

Our ruling
An Instagram post claimed that U.S. aid money sent to Ukraine is being funneled back in the form of campaign contributions to Democrats through the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

FTX's former CEO was a large donor to Democrats, but has also given to Republicans. The company's connection to Ukraine was partnering with a fundraising site called Aid to Ukraine that allows people to donate cryptocurrency for the country's war effort. That money was then transferred to the Ukrainian government, not the other way around.

There is no evidence to support the claim. We rate this False.

Update, Nov. 16, 2022: This story was updated to include statements from the U.S. State Department, the United States Agency for International Development and Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation that were received after publication. It also clarifies the job title for Alex Bornyakov. The rating is unchanged.

Read MoreFTX helped with a cryptocurrency fundraising site, but there’s no connection to U.S. aid to Ukraine
Has China Initiated Zero Conflicts Since Founding of PRC?

Has China Initiated Zero Conflicts Since Founding of PRC?

False. As attested by a number of experts and published authors on modern Chinese history, the claim in Kim Dotcom's tweet that modern China has initiated zero conflicts is false.

The People's Republic of China has started a number of conflicts, trained revolutionaries, and contributed to other conflicts in Asia. It appears that the "no conflicts" claim was made by Xi Jinping in 2021.

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Ad comparing spending on Ukraine, US children is ridiculously wrong

On a largely bipartisan basis, Congress has approved about $66 billion in assistance to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.

• Proposals supported by President Joe Biden that won the support of only Democrats in Congress allocated $482 billion on behalf of U.S. children in 2021.

• One of the efforts from Democrats ' an expansion of the child tax credit that was included in Biden's American Rescue Plan of 2021 ' paid out $92 billion to U.S. families with children, or 1.5 times the amount that the U.S. has spent so far on Ukraine.

Our ruling
A Citizens for Sanity ad said that Biden and Democrats "send a fortune to Ukraine but nothing for our children."

On a largely bipartisan basis, Congress has approved roughly $66 billion in assistance to Ukraine.

By comparison, proposals supported by Biden and that won support of only Democrats in Congress spent $482 billion on behalf of U.S. children in 2021. The child tax credit expansion alone paid out $92 billion to U.S. families with children, or 1.5 times the amount the U.S. has spent so far on the war in Ukraine.

We rate the statement Pants on Fire!

Read MoreAd comparing spending on Ukraine, US children is ridiculously wrong
Are U.S. Troops on the Ground in Ukraine?

Are U.S. Troops on the Ground in Ukraine?

While the Pentagon briefing of the news media highlights the most direct role American personnel have played within Ukraine, to call it "boots on the ground" is an overstatement.

The team will be weapons experts with the aim of keeping tabs on the U.S.-supplied arms in an operation that does not involve American soldiers fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. The inspectors will not be near the frontline, the Pentagon said.

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