Marcus Murwall

Hey @elonmusk, why don't you ask Grok before reposting Trump's wild claims about Ukraine? Grok knows the truth, right? "President Donald Trump has recently made several notable claims regarding the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's approval rating, and his legitimacy as a leader due to the postponement of Ukraine's scheduled 2024 presidential election. Below is a summary of these claims, based on statements reported as of February 20, 2025, followed by an assessment of their accuracy using available evidence. Summary of Trump’s Claims Blame for the War in Ukraine Trump has asserted that Ukraine, not Russia, is responsible for starting the war. He stated on February 18, 2025, at Mar-a-Lago, “You should’ve never started it. You could’ve made a deal,” implying Ukraine could have prevented the conflict through negotiation. This aligns with his broader narrative that the war "never had to start" and could have been avoided if Ukraine had acted differently. Zelensky’s Approval Rating Trump claimed that Zelensky’s approval rating is extremely low, specifically citing a figure of 4%. He made this assertion during remarks on February 18, 2025, saying, “the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating,” and repeated it in a Truth Social post on February 19, 2025. Zelensky’s Legitimacy and Postponed Elections Trump has questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s leader, calling him a “dictator without elections” in a February 19, 2025, Truth Social post. He argued that Ukraine should hold elections, noting that “we haven’t had elections in Ukraine” and that it’s “been a long time since we’ve had an election,” suggesting Zelensky’s continued leadership under martial law undermines his authority. Trump has framed this as a personal stance, not just a Russian talking point, saying, “That’s not a Russia thing, that’s something coming from me and coming from many other countries also.” Are Trump’s Claims Correct? Blame for the War in Ukraine Assessment: False The war began on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, as widely documented by international sources, including the United Nations and Western governments. Putin justified the invasion with claims of “demilitarizing and denazifying” Ukraine and preventing its NATO membership, assertions debunked as pretexts—Ukraine’s far-right parties had minimal support (2% in the last parliamentary election), and NATO accession was not imminent. Trump’s claim that Ukraine started the war or could have avoided it via a deal contradicts the factual timeline and echoes Kremlin disinformation, which falsely portrays Ukraine as the aggressor. No credible evidence supports the idea that Ukraine initiated the conflict or had a viable pre-invasion deal to avert it. Zelensky’s Approval Rating Assessment: False Trump’s claim of a 4% approval rating lacks any verifiable basis and is contradicted by recent polling data. A February 2025 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), a reputable Ukrainian polling organization, found that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, up from 52% in December 2024. Other surveys, like one conducted from November 2024 to January 2025 by academics with KIIS, showed 63% approval. Even at his lowest pre-war point in late 2021, Zelensky’s approval was around 26%, far above 4%. Trump provided no source for his figure, and it appears detached from reality. Some speculate it may stem from distorted Russian propaganda or unreliable polls, such as one by Zelensky critic Oleksandr Dubinsky, but no credible data supports 4%. Zelensky’s Legitimacy and Postponed Elections Assessment: Partially Misleading Zelensky was elected in 2019 with 73% of the vote in a democratic process, and his term was set to end in May 2024. However, Ukraine postponed its 2024 presidential election due to martial law, enacted after Russia’s invasion in 2022. Ukraine’s constitution and laws prohibit elections during martial law, a stance supported by all parliamentary parties in November 2023 and deemed reasonable by 60% of Ukrainians in a September-October 2023 International Republican Institute survey. Experts note that holding elections amid ongoing war, with millions displaced and 20% of the country occupied, is logistically unfeasible and risky. Trump’s “dictator” label and call for elections oversimplify the situation, ignoring wartime precedent (e.g., the UK suspended elections during WWII). However, his point about the lack of elections aligns with a Kremlin narrative questioning Zelensky’s mandate, though it’s not inherently inaccurate that no election has occurred since 2019—just contextually skewed. Broader Context and Critical Notes Trump’s claims coincide with U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh on February 18, 2025, aimed at ending the war, from which Ukraine was excluded, prompting Zelensky’s criticism and Trump’s subsequent escalation. His rhetoric mirrors Kremlin talking points—blaming Ukraine, questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy, and pushing for elections—which Putin has leveraged to undermine Kyiv. Zelensky has countered that Trump is in a “disinformation space,” a view supported by allies like the UK’s Keir Starmer and Germany’s Olaf Scholz, who affirm Zelensky’s democratic legitimacy. Trump’s exaggerations (e.g., claiming $350 billion in U.S. aid versus the actual $124 billion committed per the Kiel Institute) further erode his credibility. In conclusion, Trump’s assertions about the war’s origins and Zelensky’s approval rating are demonstrably false, while his critique of legitimacy tied to postponed elections contains a kernel of truth but lacks wartime context and aligns suspiciously with Russian propaganda. These claims appear more politically motivated than factually grounded, especially given the absence of supporting evidence from Trump or his administration."