Category Misconceptions

Macron didn’t call Putin a ‘butcher’ in news conference with Trump

What was claimed: A video shows the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, calling Vladimir Putin a "butcher" and commenting on his "war crimes" during a press conference with US president Donald Trump.

Our verdict: This isn't quite right. Mr Macron referred to killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha and mentioned war crimes, but did not describe President Putin as a "butcher".

Read MoreMacron didn’t call Putin a ‘butcher’ in news conference with Trump

Fact Check: AI Video Shows Ukrainian Flag Hoisted On Statue Of Liberty Torch

Does a video authentically show climbers hoisting a Ukrainian flag on the torch of the Statue of Liberty in New York? No, that's not true: The video was created using AI, according to the caption added by the account that originally posted it. The torch held by the statue in the video looks markedly different from the one held by the actual Statue of Liberty in New York.

Read MoreFact Check: AI Video Shows Ukrainian Flag Hoisted On Statue Of Liberty Torch

Fact Check: INAUTHENTIC Audio Suggests BBC Reporter Joked On Open Mic That Trump F***ed Zelenskyy In Oval Office Meeting

Did a video clip shared to X authentically show a BBC reporter joking the February 28, 2025 Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump was " ... the second time that a U.S. president f***ed someone in the Oval Office." ? No, that's not true: The audio was generated using artificial intelligence. The original newscast did not include any such remark and the reporter has publicly dismissed its authenticity.

Read MoreFact Check: INAUTHENTIC Audio Suggests BBC Reporter Joked On Open Mic That Trump F***ed Zelenskyy In Oval Office Meeting

Zelenskyy saying US will have to send ‘sons and daughters to war’ in Ukraine is from old video

Zelenskyy did say, "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, he was talking about a hypothetical situation in which Ukraine losing the war against Russia would lead to a broader conflict resulting in Americans being pulled into fighting. He made this statement in February 2023, two years before the exchange with Trump took place.

Read MoreZelenskyy saying US will have to send ‘sons and daughters to war’ in Ukraine is from old video

“Europe also has no weapons – the warehouses are empty.”

Conclusion: European military outmatches Russian in key areas, with 1.47 million personnel, 367,760 armored vehicles and over 2,000 warships, including six aircraft carriers. France, Germany and Britain are increasing defense spending, while Russia struggles with losses, outdated stockpiles, and sanctions-limited weapons production.

Read More“Europe also has no weapons – the warehouses are empty.”

The facts behind resurfaced claim that Zelenskyy has multiple homes, planes, offshore accounts

The claim, shared across Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived) and X (archived) in the form of an image, read:

The President of Ukraine owns a 35 million dollar home in Florida and has $1.2 billion in a overseas bank account. Zelensky owns 15 homes, 3 private planes, and has a monthly income of 11 million dollars. Why is no one questioning where our AID is going?

However, there was no proof of any of the claims shared within the image.

Read MoreThe facts behind resurfaced claim that Zelenskyy has multiple homes, planes, offshore accounts

Trump Exaggerates on U.S. and European Aid to Ukraine, Loans

Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, told us in an email that “Trump’s citation of $350 billion is double what Congress has appropriated.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Congress has passed five spending bills to provide support to Ukraine, totaling about $174.2 billion, as we’ve explained before in fact-checking this and other claims Trump has made about Ukraine and Zelenskky. Each of those five measures passed with bipartisan support. [...]

As for Trump’s claim that Europe provided its aid to Ukraine in the “form of a loan, they get their money back,” that’s an exaggeration. Only a portion of European aid is in the form of loans.

Read MoreTrump Exaggerates on U.S. and European Aid to Ukraine, Loans