On December 24, a Russian-language Facebook account posted a video titled, “Donald Trump: Zelenskyi Will Destroy Ukraine!”
The footage shows Donald Trump being interviewed by the American media outlet NBC. In the video, the journalist asks Trump about his interview with Zelenskyy. Trump states that Zelenskyy is destroying his own people and is only concerned about himself. According to Trump, Zelenskyy is an illegitimate president, and elections must be held again in Ukraine. The video is dubbed in Russian.
Donald Trump: “As always, he asked for support – more money, weapons for the war with Russia, and so on. This is a warning signal for everyone, including America. Because this man has no idea what he is doing, he is destroying his own people, thinking only about himself. He’s in a desperate situation. We all know what awaits him, and so does he. That’s why he’s ready to fight to the last Ukrainian, as dictated by the current U.S. administration.
I made my demands clear to him: for any kind of negotiations to continue, at the very least, elections must be held in Ukraine. He is an illegitimate president. A newly elected president should sit at the negotiating table with Russia…”
The TikTok account antiterror2025, visible in the lower corner of the video, is the original source of the footage.
The claim that Trump called Zelenskyy an illegitimate president and demanded new elections in Ukraine is disinformation. The footage used in the video is from Trump’s interview with NBC, but the Russian-language translation is fabricated, and Trump did not make such statements.
The video circulating on social media is a fragment from Donald Trump’s hour-long interview with the American media outlet NBC. The interview, given by Trump to NBC on December 8, makes no mention of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The discussion focuses on the Russia-Ukraine war, where the U.S. president-elect speaks about negotiations with Putin and criticizes the weaknesses of the previous administration. He also mentions the Ukrainian side, specifically saying that the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed is higher than official reports indicate.
The footage from the interview has been mirrored, and a false translation has been overlaid.
It is worth noting that Donald Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine before his inauguration and has described the casualties on both sides as a “tragedy.” Trump also stated on social media that “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness.”
Additionally, last week, information was spread manipulatively, claiming that Trump demanded that Zelenskyy end the war.
About the Source
The Facebook user Светлана Городинская regularly disseminates disinformation. The visual manipulations shared by this user have been repeatedly fact-checked by Myth Detector.
Davit Katamadze
Myth Detector Lab
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