The world is closely watching the developments of the war in Ukraine during Donald Trump’s second term as President of the United States. Those who keep a vigilant eye on the developments include the Taiwanese, who see many geopolitical similarities between themselves and Ukraine. However, purveyors of false information also closely monitor events and are eager to exploit every new tension to promote their distorted narratives. The producers of Chinese-language misinformation used partially or entirely fabricated evidence to stoke fears that the United States is about to abandon Ukraine. Notably, the narratives often emphasized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “regret” to go to war with Russia. Many of these messages, mainly spread on social media, aimed to illustrate Ukraine’s lesson for Taiwan about the potential costs of depending on the U.S. in its opposition to China’s ambition of invading Taiwan.
Since Trump took office for his second term as the U.S. President, U.S. policy toward the war in Ukraine has shifted significantly, with Trump prioritizing a deal with Russia to end the war while sidelining Ukraine in negotiations. The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House on February 28, 2025, marked a significant departure from the U.S.’s previous commitment to support Ukraine in the conflict and a notable interruption in Ukraine-U.S. relations. Subsequently, the U.S. suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Moreover, the Trump administration halted foreign assistance funding, which has also impacted Ukrainian civil society.
As a longstanding ally of the U.S., Taiwan has received support from the U.S. in confronting escalating threats from China. However, concerns about the reliability of the U.S. as a partner during a potential military attack from China persist within Taiwanese society, fluctuating in response to both domestic and international events, such as developments in the war in Ukraine. On the other hand, Chinese propaganda has constantly exploited these worries to spread disinformation, eroding Taiwanese trust in the U.S. and undermining confidence in the institution of democracy.
A rising trend from mid-February to early March
Since February, when it was reported that the Trump administration would engage in discussions with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the number of Chinese-language rumors about the conflict has also risen, peaking after the contentious meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House. As Figure 1 illustrates, the numbers of suspicious information containing the word “Ukraine” reached a high point from mid-February to early March, especially during the week following the meeting on February 28.
A widespread false narrative: the US abandoned Ukraine, and Zelenskyy regretted the war
The Chinese-language disinformation encompassed several themes, with most aimed at undermining Ukraine and focusing on the potential loss of US support for the country. A prevalent theme suggested that the United States was abandoning Ukraine, and Zelenskyy expressed regret over the war. For example, in a video that circulated widely on social media, Zelenskyy appeared to speak at a conference. In this video, he spoke in the Ukrainian language, accompanied by Chinese subtitles on the screen:
“After three years of fighting, our country has become ruins, our territory has shrunk, mineral resources have been seized, and there are still unpaid foreign debts. It turns out that Ukraine is a pawn in the exchange of interests between big powers.”
The video title concluded, “This admission came a little bit late.” However, this video was not recent. The actual context of this footage was a 2023 press conference, where Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for his family’s support. During this conference, he never uttered the words presented in the Chinese subtitles.
Another form of this type of disinformation involved inaccurate and misleading translations. After Trump spoke with Putin over the phone on February 12 to propose starting discussions about the war in Ukraine, false information from China containing screenshots of social media posts by Trump and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk began circulating, claiming that Trump “is going to bend to Russia and sacrifice Ukraine” and that “Polish Foreign Minister Donald Tusk” has read the U.S.’s change and decided not to support Ukraine. At that time, Trump and Putin were indeed having a conversation; however, Trump’s public statement in the social media post did not indicate that Ukraine was to be sacrificed. Furthermore, this claim incorrectly referred to Tusk’s title, stating he was the “Foreign Minister.” Tusk did not assert that Poland would cease supporting Ukraine either.
Another recurring theme in Chinese disinformation is that the war presented an opportunity for American politicians or Zelenskyy himself to make a personal profit. For instance, a claim listed the amounts American politicians have gained from the war in Ukraine. This list named both Democrats and Republicans, including Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, and Lindsey Graham. In fact, this rumor has been circulated on social media since 2023. Other themes include scenes depicting Ukrainian individuals suffering due to the sacrifice of their family members in the war, as well as false claims that Ukraine and Russia have reached a peace deal. Among the majority of false information that is inimical to Ukraine, only a few pieces stood out, seeming to sympathize with Ukraine. An AI-generated video fabricated a scene in which world leaders took off their jackets to show support for Zelenskyy—a reference to Zelenskyy being questioned by a White House reporter about not wearing a suit during the February 28 meeting with Trump.
Compared to disinformation prevalent in English accounts that often undermined international support for Ukraine by falsely portraying corruption within the Ukrainian government and suggesting that Western countries have profited from the war, Chinese-language disinformation tended to highlight how the United States has used Ukraine as a “pawn” and the costs that Ukraine must bear. This narrative aligns with the storyline and terminology commonly promoted by Chinese propaganda, which depicts Taiwan as a “pawn” or “chess piece” for the U.S. in the game between China and the United States, implying that the U.S. will abandon Taiwan once it no longer serves its interests. In other words, the creators of the Chinese-language disinformation utilized the war in Ukraine as a cautionary tale for Taiwanese and Chinese readers who are concerned about Taiwan-China-US relations. This theme makes this type of video particularly distinct from disinformation pieces in other languages.
The origin of the false information
Among the false information, half of the Ukraine war-related false pieces during this period were translated from problematic English claims that had already been circulated on social media. For example, one Chinese narrative falsely claimed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) paid Time magazine to make Zelenskyy “Person of the Year.” This false claim was actually translated from an X English account. Some other false claims can be traced back to original Russian content, such as an article in a Russian media outlet that claimed Barron Trump criticized Zelenskyy for requesting an invitation to the president’s inauguration ceremony (in fact, it was Donald Trump Jr. who made the criticism).
However, it is important to note that the false claims framing Ukraine as a pawn of the United States and expressing Zelenskyy’s regret did not originate from the disinformation circulated in English-speaking regions. Instead, they appear to have been specifically crafted to target Chinese-language audiences, primarily Taiwanese. Several of these claims employed original footage from Ukrainian and Turkish media, accompanied by misleading Chinese subtitles, to create a fictitious narrative, including the previously mentioned video in which Zelenskyy purportedly stated that Ukraine was a pawn. Another such claim was an article suggesting that Zelenskyy, during a midnight television talk with tearful eyes, declared that Ukraine had been exploited by the US, EU, and NATO over the past three years. This entirely fabricated story can be traced back to posts on Chinese sites, such as NetEase, and was subsequently shared on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, platforms that have gained popularity among younger Taiwanese generations recently.
The emergence of AI-generated videos
Videos were the primary medium for presenting false information. Most videos were based on original footage from various sources and placed the original content in different contexts to create narratives completely different from the original stories. Several videos utilized AI tools to make individuals in the original footage deliver fabricated statements, make movements, or replace original individuals with faces of politicians. One example is the previously mentioned AI-generated video in which leaders from several countries removed their jackets to show support for Ukraine. Additionally, a video in which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed he would ask Elon Musk to cut off Ukraine’s access to the Starlink service was also AI-generated footage based on an old CNN news clip. This fake AI video has also been promoted by English accounts while circulated by Chinese social media users.
As the war in Ukraine develops and the negotiation continues, information producers driven by various intentions will likely exploit these new developments to promote messages that blend facts, lies, exaggeration, misleading framing, and propaganda. AI tools will also challenge the audience’s ability to discern the facts. It is foreseeable there will be an increase in falsehoods at a time like this when accurate facts, conveyed by precise wording and truthful accounts, are more crucial than ever. Understanding the tropes, narratives, and techniques found in existing false claims could help prepare audiences for the information they encounter in the future.
Wei-Ping Li is a research fellow at the Taiwan FactCheck Center.