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: Zelenskyy Did NOT Buy French Bank Milleis Via Maltex In February 2025

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy buy the French bank Milleis in February 2025 using the offshore company Maltex? No, that's not true: No credible media organization reported this story, as of March 6, 2025. A viral video purporting to be a TV news report about it displayed a non-existent TV channel logo. And the video contained inauthentic, AI-generated audio, according to two AI detectors.

Read MoreFact Check: Zelenskyy Did NOT Buy French Bank Milleis Via Maltex In February 2025

Zelenskyy didn’t exactly say ‘raising volume of your voice’ but not ‘your logic’ in Trump meeting

Claim:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during their contentious February 2025 Oval Office meeting, “You're raising the volume of your voice, but not the logic of your argument."

Context
Zelenskyy said, "You think that if you will speak very loudly about the war [between Ukraine and Russia], you can ..." before Trump cut him off. We do not know what Zelenskyy was planning to say in the rest of his sentence before he was interrupted.

Read MoreZelenskyy didn’t exactly say ‘raising volume of your voice’ but not ‘your logic’ in Trump meeting

Don’t fall for doctored clip of BBC reporter making crude on-air comment about Zelenskyy WH meeting

Waterhouse did not make the off-the-cuff remark in the original footage of the broadcast, which BBC News posted to its official YouTube channel on March 1, the day it originally aired. In other words, versions of the video that included Waterhouse allegedly saying "this is the second time ever that a U.S. president f***ed someone in the Oval Office" were doctored to misrepresent reality. As a result, we've rated the claim fake.

Read MoreDon’t fall for doctored clip of BBC reporter making crude on-air comment about Zelenskyy WH meeting

FACT CHECK: Did Zelenskyy Use An Expletive In Reference To Trump Ahead Of Downing Street Meeting?

Verdict: False
The video originally stems from TikTok and was likely edited with artificial intelligence (AI), according to Snopes. A video shared on X indicates Zelenskyy responded to a question from a reporter about his trip to the U.K.

Read MoreFACT CHECK: Did Zelenskyy Use An Expletive In Reference To Trump Ahead Of Downing Street Meeting?

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

“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.”

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