Fact check: What is the truth behind Trump’s claims on Ukraine?

US President Donald Trump has caused a stir this week after making a series of allegations about Russia’s war in Ukraine and the government in Kiyv.

Trump shared a slew of claims, including calling his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” on his Truth Social platform, as well as during a press conference held in his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida on Wednesday.

European leaders have responded to the US president’s claims with outrage, while Zelenskyy accused Trump of living “in a disinformation space” created by Russia, in a drastic shift in relations compared to former US President Joe Biden and his administration.

Euroverify has looked at the facts behind Trump’s main statements, which have cast doubts over Washington’s continued support of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is not a ‘dictator’ with 4% approval rating

During Wednesday’s press conference, Trump claimed there was “essentially martial law in Ukraine”, adding that Zelenskyy is “down at 4% approval rating”.

This figure — which does not appear in any surveys — is unfounded, as research shows that Zelenskyy’s approval ratings have consistently exceeded 50%.

Zelenskyy was elected in democratic elections held in May 2019, taking 73% in the second round of the vote. Four years on, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, martial law prohibited holding elections in line with the country’s constitution. 

Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that elections will be held after the war, with his main rivals also dismissing calls for a wartime vote.

According to a domestic KIIS poll published in February 2022, 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy — up from 52% in December. In another survey, Zelenskyy’s approval rating was estimated to have reached 63% in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, 74% of Ukrainians describe Zelenskyy as a patriot, 73% as an intelligent and knowledgeable leader and 65% as a strong figure guiding the country through war.

“Spreading misinformation about Zelenskyy’s legitimacy directly aids Kremlin propaganda and undermines the Ukrainian people’s right to determine their own future”, stated Olga Onuch, Professor in Comparative and Ukrainian Politics at the University of Manchester.

The US does not provide Ukraine with more support than the EU

In a post shared on his Truth Social platform Wednesday, Trump alleged that the US had donated “$350 billion”** (€334bn) to Ukraine. He also alleged that Washington had spent “$200 billion (€191.1bn) more than Europe” on support.

Although there are different statistics and ways of measuring support sent to Ukraine, the US has donated less than Trump claims — and has not overtaken Europe.

Support from the EU and individual states amounts to approximately €132.3 billion, compared to €114.2 billion from the US, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

The largest contributions as a percentage of GDP were made by Estonia and Denmark, who have committed more than 2% of their pre-war GDP to directly support Ukraine.

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In the same Truth Social post, Trump also accused Ukraine’s president of corruption, writing, “Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is “missing”.

In an interview with the Associated Press earlier this month, Zelenskyy stated that although people talk about Ukraine receiving more than €191 billion in US support, Ukraine had only received around €72.5 billion from the US, largely in the form of weapons. 

Zelenskyy said he didn’t know where all this additional money had gone while adding the caveat that the total figure could be correct “on paper”. 

Zelenskyy is believed to have been pointing out that a large chunk of US support allocated to Ukraine is not handed over in the form of money given to the government.

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This is because much of the US military support sent to Ukraine goes into weapons produced in US factories, as well as payments to US service members.

Russia is deploying significant military resources in Ukraine

In Wednesday’s press conference, Trump claimed that “Russia does not intend to destroy Kyiv, if they had wanted to, they would have done it. Russia is capable of wiping out Ukrainian cities 100%, including Kyiv, but right now, they are only attacking at 20%.”

Most data points suggest Russia has invested a significant part of its military might in its invasion of Ukraine. 

According to estimates by Ukraine’s intelligence agency, HUR, around 580,000 Russian troops are on the ground, with Moscow believed to have spent around €200 billion on its war efforts.

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Western sanctions have also impacted Russia’s ability to manufacture weapons, with reports stating that its weapon stockpiles have been dwindling. 

The Kremlin has been using drones and missiles from Iran, as well as relying on North Korean troops and missiles to replenish its military forces.

Some say the degree to which Russia has invested energy and time in its war in Ukraine has led it to lose clout in other areas of the world, such as in Syria, where Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.