Zelenskyy Faces Surge of Misinformation After Oval Office Meeting with Trump

Misinformation recently targeted Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before and after his tense meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Misbar's team investigated the latest false claims against the Ukrainian president.

Zelenskyy’s Heated Meeting with Donald Trump

During a tense Oval Office meeting on Friday, President Donald Trump harshly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him “disrespectful.”

Moments later, Trump abruptly canceled the signing of a minerals deal that he claimed would have brought Ukraine closer to ending its war with Russia.

The unexpected turn of events could shake diplomatic relations across Europe and beyond. Zelenskyy planned to sign the agreement, which would have granted the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, and hold a joint news conference. However, plans were scrapped after a heated exchange between the leaders in front of the media.

Shortly after Trump’s outburst, his top advisers asked Zelenskyy to leave the White House. The U.S. president openly expressed frustration, telling Zelenskyy, “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”

The final 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute meeting turned into a tense confrontation between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader urged skepticism over Russia’s diplomatic intentions, citing Moscow’s repeated failures to honor global commitments.   

Did USAID Pay Time Magazine $4 Million To Name Zelenskyy 'Person Of The Year '?

On February 28, the same day as the Oval Office meeting, social media users widely shared a claim attributed to the New York Post saying that USAID paid Time magazine $4 million to name Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as 'Person of the Year.' 

Trolls questioned media independence, with some suggesting that U.S. taxpayers' money influenced the decision, asking, “Is there any media that wasn’t on USAID’s payroll?”

Misbar’s team investigated the claim and found it to be false. A search using The New York Post's internal search engine returned no results supporting the allegation that USAID paid Time magazine $4 million to name Zelenskyy ‘Person of the Year.’

In December 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Time magazine named Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy ‘Person of the Year.’ 

Was Zelenskyy’s Biography Sold at a Huge Discount After His Meeting?

After he met with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, social media users circulated an image purporting to feature Zelenskyy’s biography being sold at a nearly tenfold discount.

Misbar investigated the image and found the claim to be misleading. A thorough reverse image search revealed that the image is older than claimed. A Russian website uploaded the same image on June 19, 2023.

False WSJ Headline About U.S. Denial of Funding for Ukrainian Delegation

After Zelenskyy was told to leave the White House following a heated exchange with Trump, social media users circulated an image claiming to show a Wall Street Journal headline stating that Ukraine covered the delegation's travel and stay in the U.S. 

The alleged report claimed this was the first time the Trump administration refused to pay for a foreign delegation’s expenses.

Misbar’s team investigated the claim and found it to be baseless, as no reliable media outlet reported it.

Moreover, a search using The Wall Street Journal's internal search engine found no results or headlines matching the one in the viral doctored image.

Trump and Vice President Claim Zelenskyy Is Insufficiently Thankful to the U.S.

During a tense meeting on Friday, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of being unthankful to the U.S.

“You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards,” Trump said, adding a bit later, “You gotta be more thankful.”

“Have you said thank you once this entire meeting?” Vance asked.

After leaving the White House, Zelenskyy posted on X: “Thank you, America. Thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.” 

According to CNN, Zelenskyy has repeatedly expressed gratitude to the United States since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. He has thanked both Trump and President Joe Biden, members of Congress from both parties, U.S. defense companies and their employees, and the American people. 

CNN documented 33 previous instances where Zelenskyy publicly expressed appreciation for U.S. support.

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