
Fact-check: Did Ukraine start its war with Russia, as Trump claims? | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera
Verdict: False Ukraine did not 'start' this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

Verdict: False Ukraine did not 'start' this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

A misleading poll said that Zelensky has a 4% approval rating. Zelensky told reporters it was a Russian figure and that Ukraine had 'proof' that it had been used in talks between Russian and US officials

Data released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) shows that while Zelensky's support base has decreased since early 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, it is still far higher than Trump's claim of four percent. In a poll conducted between February 4-9, 57 percent of adults said they trusted Zelensky, while 37 percent of respondents said that they do not and six percent said it was hard to say.

Despite the US president's claims of low support, Zelenskyy's approval rating reached 57% in February - higher than Trump's own.

There is no credible poll in Ukraine that shows Zelensky with an approval rating in the single digits. Surveys consistently show him in the 50-60 percent approval range, down from the 75-90 percent marks he was getting earlier in the war.
February's KIIS poll showed 57 percent of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, which is a higher level of support than President Trump has received in recent polls from Gallup (48 percent) and YouGov (47 percent).

In reality, respected polls in Ukraine show that Zelenskyy has over 50% approval among Ukrainians. The most recent, published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in early February, showed that 57% of respondents said they trusted Zelenskyy.

Claim: Zelensky is a 'dictator without elections'
Claim: 'I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating'
Claim: 'You should have never started it'

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces launched an invasion on Ukraine, a country that the night before was at peace. Putin called it a "special military operation" and he premised the attack on false claims about Ukraine. As people were sleeping, Russian troops and tanks rolled into Ukraine and missiles poured down in what U.S. military analysts called the largest military operation in Europe since World War II.
The attack followed weeks of Russian maneuvers that included staging a large-scale military exercise along Russia's border with Ukraine that the U.S. estimated to include 190,000 Russian troops.
We rate the statement Pants on Fire!

President Donald Trump this week falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war that has cost tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives, causing outrage and alarm in a country that has spent nearly three years fighting back a much larger Russian military. [...]
Here's a look at some of Trump's statements:

Claim: Zelenskyy is a 'dictator' who is blocking elections
Fact check: Ukrainian elections can't be held during a war
Claim: Zelenskyy has an approval rating of 4 per cent
Fact check: Recent polling indicates Zelenkskyy has an approval rating of 57 per cent
Claim: Ukraine 'started' the war
Fact check: Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
Claim: The US contributes more aid to Ukraine than Europe
Fact check: Europe has overtaken the US in terms of Ukraine aid