The truth behind the rhetoric. By Glenn Kessler
In a remarkable shift in U.S. foreign policy this week, President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia three years ago. In doing so, Trump is echoing the Russian position that it was pushed into the conflict. It’s akin to saying Japan was forced into attacking Pearl Harbor because the United States imposed a trade embargo in 1940, depriving Japan of oil. The trade embargo came after Japan’s provocative actions in the Pacific, such as the 1931 occupation of Manchuria following a Japanese-manufactured incident.
But Trump’s position is based on falsehoods and incorrect facts. We checked a number of his statements, including:
- Zelensky is “down at 4 percent approval rating” (The latest poll shows approval at 57 percent)
- Zelensky “talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won. … The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe.” (The United States has spent $174 billion and European nations have spent more than that.)
- Zelensky “admits that half of the money we sent him is ‘MISSING.’” (Zelensky never said this and Trump’s envoy to Ukraine says this is not true).
You can read the full report by clicking this link.
Read the full fact check Also: A guide to the Trump administration lexicon. Transparency, free speech and fraud have different meanings under Trump, so we offered an interpretation.
You can read the full report by clicking this link.
