Trump’s Claims About the Ukraine War: A Fact-Check.
Trump Accuses Ukraine of Responsibility for War
US President Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine bears responsibility for the ongoing war with Russia. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida, he made a series of claims, including assertions about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's popularity and the country's suspended elections due to martial law. He later reiterated these statements in a fiery Truth Social post on Wednesday.
Some of Trump's comments echoed Russian narratives about the war. His remarks came shortly after US officials met with a Russian delegation in Riyadh to discuss possible conflict resolution. In response, Zelensky accused Trump of "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia.
BBC Verify has analyzed and fact-checked Trump's claims.
Claim: Zelensky is a 'Dictator Without Elections'
Trump pointed out that Ukraine has not held a presidential election since 2019, when Zelensky, then a comedian with no political background, was elected in a landslide victory. In a Truth Social post, Trump accused Zelensky of being a "dictator without elections."
Zelensky’s first five-year term was scheduled to end in May 2024. However, elections were suspended due to martial law, which has been in place since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The martial law framework was established in 2015—years before Zelensky and his Servant of the People party came to power—following Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Independent observers from the OSCE described Ukraine’s 2019 election as "competitive," stating that "fundamental freedoms were generally respected." Zelensky won 73% of the vote in the second round.
Although he has not confirmed whether he will seek re-election, Zelensky has pledged to hold new elections once the war ends. Experts widely agree that organizing elections amid ongoing Russian attacks, widespread displacement, and occupied territories would be nearly impossible.
Trump’s comments coincided with the Kremlin’s questioning of Zelensky’s legitimacy, a claim Russia has repeatedly made in recent months. On January 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Zelensky "illegitimate" in an interview with Russian media. Trump acknowledged that the issue had been raised by Russia but insisted, "That's not a Russian thing, that's something coming from me, from other countries."
Zelensky has dismissed the notion of holding elections mid-war, calling it "absolutely irresponsible."
Claim: 'Zelensky Has a 4% Approval Rating'
Trump also claimed that Zelensky’s approval rating had plummeted to just 4%, but he did not provide evidence or cite a source. The White House has been asked for clarification.
Conducting reliable polling during wartime is challenging, as millions of Ukrainians have fled the country, and approximately one-fifth of Ukraine remains under Russian occupation. However, some telephone surveys have been conducted. A recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky. This is a decline from 77% at the end of 2023 and 90% in May 2022, indicating a drop in popularity but nowhere near the figure Trump suggested.
Other surveys suggest that Zelensky may trail his potential rival, former army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in a hypothetical first-round election. This indicates that a run-off between the two would likely be required.
Following Trump’s remarks, major Russian media outlets amplified his claim, citing a poll conducted on Telegram by Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Dubinsky, a Zelensky critic. Dubinsky, who has been charged with treason in Ukraine and accused of working for Russian intelligence (allegations he denies), claimed the poll supported Trump’s assertion.
Claim: 'Ukraine Should Have Never Started the War'
Trump dismissed concerns about Ukraine not being invited to recent peace talks in Riyadh, arguing that Ukraine had had three years to end the war. He then appeared to blame Kyiv for starting the conflict, saying, "You should have never started it."
This claim aligns with previous Kremlin rhetoric. Putin has insisted that Ukraine initiated hostilities in 2014 and that Russia’s actions are aimed at stopping the war. "It was they who started the war in 2014. Our goal is to stop this war. And we did not start this war in 2022," Putin told US talk show host Tucker Carlson in February 2024.
However, historical records contradict this. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 after annexing Crimea in 2014. The annexation followed Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests, which led to the ousting of a pro-Russian president. Russia subsequently backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of committing genocide against Russian speakers—a claim the International Court of Justice has rejected.
Despite diplomatic efforts to resolve the post-2014 conflict, Russia built up military forces along Ukraine’s border in late 2021. Putin then ordered the invasion on February 24, 2022, declaring that his goal was to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine and prevent its NATO membership.
In Ukraine’s last parliamentary elections, far-right candidates secured only 2% of the vote. Additionally, Zelensky is Jewish, and his party is considered centrist. While NATO acknowledged Ukraine as a potential future member in 2021, no formal process for membership had been initiated.
Trump’s remarks have reignited debate over his stance on Ukraine and his alignmentnment with Russian narratives on the war.
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