Under the terms of Ukraine's constitution, elections cannot be held while the country is under martial law (which was declared by Mr Zelensky in February 2022 following Russia's invasion, and has been extended multiple times by Ukraine's parliament).
Zelenskyy is not a 'dictator' with 4% approval rating
The US does not provide Ukraine with more support than the EU
Russia is deploying significant military resources in Ukraine
While answering reporters' questions about U.S. and Russian representatives meeting in Saudi Arabia without anyone from Ukraine present, the president said, "But today I heard, 'Oh we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."
WMUR's partners at PolitiFact looked into this statement. PolitiFact's Lou Jacobson joins to examine the claims.
Preisdent Donald Trump told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky treated out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “rudely” when he traveled to the capital of Ukraine and didn't even meet with him. But then photos of the two men meeting were posted online, contradicting Trump's story.
How common is it for democracies to postpone elections during wartime?
Under the terms of Ukraine's constitution, elections cannot be held while the country is under martial law (which was declared by Mr Zelensky in February 2022 following Russia's invasion, and has been extended multiple times by Ukraine’s parliament).
Experts have also noted a number of practical obstacles to holding elections - around one-fifth of the country is currently occupied by Russia, millions of Ukrainians are displaced or serving on front lines, and there are security concerns.
Did Ukraine start its war with Russia, as President Donald Trump said? No, Russia invaded
Media outlets worldwide covered Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged it as a "special military operation," saying the offensive would "seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine."
For years, Russia has sought to blame Ukrainian actions for its invasion.
Indeed, can confirm. And I was standing right beside where this photograph was taken. And then I stood 10 feet from both Zelensky and Bessent inside the presidential office again an hour or so later, when they emerged from their meeting to brief a small group of reporters.
After U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump made several false and misleading statements about the conflict and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump falsely claimed that Ukraine had "started" the war with Russia, saying the country could have made a "deal." Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
He inflated the amount of U.S. aid for Ukraine and wrongly said the U.S. gave "$200 billion more than Europe." Aid from Europe is higher than that from the U.S.
Trump distorted comments Zelenskyy made to claim that the Ukrainian president "admits that half of the money that we sent them is missing." A Trump administration official has said the U.S. tracks the money.
Trump called Zelenskyy a "dictator" and misleadingly said that he "refuses" to have elections. Because of the war, the country is under martial law and can't have an election, according to Ukrainian law.
Some GOP lawmakers distanced themselves from Trump's statements calling Zelensky a "dictator without elections" and blaming Ukraine for the war
"I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well," Trump said, answering reporters' questions on February 18 at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "But today I heard [from Ukraine], 'Oh well, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years - you should have never started it, you could have made a deal."
This clashes with the evidence that Russia sent a large invasion force into Ukraine in February 2022.