Category International community

FACT CHECK: Exchange between U.S. defense official and journalist on Ukraine-Russia FAKE

WHAT WAS CLAIMED: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a journalist had an exchange about the impending peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

OUR VERDICT: Fake: No such exchange on diplomacy and Russia's concessions took place between Hegseth and a reporter in a press briefing after a NATO defense ministers' meeting on Feb. 13.

Read MoreFACT CHECK: Exchange between U.S. defense official and journalist on Ukraine-Russia FAKE

Misleading Video of Zelenskyy Saying the U.S. To ‘Send Their Sons and Daughters to War’

Misbar investigated the viral video and found the claim to be misleading.

Zelenskyy Saying U.S. Will Send 'Sons and Daughters to War' Is Miscaptioned

Contrary to social media users' viral claim, the video is miscaptioned and does not feature a recent statement from Ukraine's Zelenskyy following a heated meeting with Trump on February 28. [...]

Zelenskyy stated, "The U.S. will have to send their sons and daughters exactly the same way as we are sending [our] sons and daughters to war."

However, Zelenskyy was referring to a hypothetical scenario where Ukraine's defeat could trigger a wider conflict, forcing the U.S. to intervene as a NATO member.

Read MoreMisleading Video of Zelenskyy Saying the U.S. To ‘Send Their Sons and Daughters to War’

Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Tweet ‘The USA Needs To Hold An Election. Trump Would Lose By A Landslide’ — Fake Screenshot

Did Elon Musk tweet "The USA needs to hold an election. Trump would lose by a landslide." on March 7, 2025? No, that's not true: The post in question does not appear on Musk's X account and it was not indexed by Google. A viral screenshot that appears to show such a post bears signs of digital manipulation.

Read MoreFact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Tweet ‘The USA Needs To Hold An Election. Trump Would Lose By A Landslide’ — Fake Screenshot

Old Footage Resurfaced Following Zelenskyy-Trump Clash

Following last month's reported Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Zelensky, two videos emerged recently, purportedly of a pro-Trump rally in the U.K. after Prime Minister Keir Starmer's demonstration of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Misbar investigated the clips and found the claim to be misleading. The allegations misleadingly portrayed previous protests as support for Trump's recent stance on Ukraine.

Read MoreOld Footage Resurfaced Following Zelenskyy-Trump Clash

The Real Reason Zelenskyy Doesn’t Wear a Suit

But the criticism of Zelenskyy's lack of traditional tie-and-jacket attire misses an obvious question: Why does he dress like that? As it turns out, the black tactical gear he wore to the Oval Office - much like his now-iconic olive-green fleeces and combat boots - is part of a growing visual shift in Ukraine, marked by the war's impact on the clothing industry and the military's now central place in Ukrainian culture.

I spoke to Illia Ponomarenko - a Ukrainian journalist who has covered the war, written for the Kyiv Post and The Kyiv Independent and authored I Will Show You How It Was: The Story of Wartime Kyiv - about the real meaning behind Zelenskyy's style. "The clothes are more than clothes," he said. "They are part of a culture of people who are involved in this war."

Read MoreThe Real Reason Zelenskyy Doesn’t Wear a Suit

Downing Street video doesn’t show Volodymyr Zelenskyy using expletive to refer to Donald Trump

What was claimed
A video shows the moment President Zelenskyy said "f*** him" when asked about President Donald Trump's latest comments on Ukraine before entering Number 10 Downing Street.

Our verdict
The clip is misleading, and this isn't what President Zelenskyy said. He responded to a journalist by saying: "I'm OK, thank you so much", and did not utter an expletive.

Read MoreDowning Street video doesn’t show Volodymyr Zelenskyy using expletive to refer to Donald Trump

Video appearing to show BBC reporter caught on hot mic after Zelenskyy-Trump meeting has been edited

What was claimed
BBC Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse was caught on a hot mic after the meeting of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump in the White House, saying: "This is the second time ever that a US president ****s someone in the Oval Office."

Our verdict
This audio clip has been faked. Mr Waterhouse says it is AI-generated, and a full clip of the report shows no such comments were broadcast.

Read MoreVideo appearing to show BBC reporter caught on hot mic after Zelenskyy-Trump meeting has been edited