“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. Its like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia. Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out? Regardless, this is a war that would have NEVER happened if I were President – ZERO CHANCE. Interesting times ahead!!! President DJT” @realDonaldTrump

Fact-Check Summary

The post claims the Biden administration would not allow Ukraine to attack Russia, instead restricting it to defensive actions; that Ukraine must attack deep into Russia to win; and that the war would never have begun if Trump were president. Evidence shows the Biden administration did restrict U.S. weapons from striking inside Russia for most of the war, but Ukraine was never fully denied the ability to conduct offensive operations, including with non-U.S. weapons and within occupied territories. The U.S. policy evolved over time, notably lifting key restrictions in mid-2024. Claims about the necessity of offense for victory are debatable among military experts. The assertion that the war would not have started under a Trump presidency is a counterfactual and cannot be verified, even as Putin has publicly agreed with it.

Belief Alignment Analysis

The post features hostile, derogatory language (“Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden”), undermining civil, inclusive discourse and democratic norms. Its presentation ignores nuance and promotes division. While skepticism about policy decisions is a core part of healthy democracy, fact-based critique should avoid personal attacks and absolute, unprovable assertions. The post’s framing reduces complex decision-making and international conflict dynamics to partisan talking points, which may inflame divisions and impair informed, rational public debate.

Opinion

Policy on military aid and rules of engagement is nuanced and evolves with context. Reducing it to “only DEFEND” versus “FIGHT BACK” is misleading. Oversimplified and hostile language erodes trust in democratic institutions and hinders constructive debate. While strategic discussions about offense versus defense are legitimate, the sweeping claim that war would never have happened under a different president ignores the complexities of international relations and cannot be responsibly asserted as fact.

TLDR

Biden initially restricted Ukraine from using U.S. arms to attack inside Russia, but Ukraine was not limited to defense alone. Restrictions were eased over time. Strategic claims about military victory are context-dependent, and the assertion that the invasion would not occur under Trump is unprovable. The post’s language and framing undermine civil and fact-based democratic discourse.

Claim: Biden would not let Ukraine fight back—only defend; wars can’t be won without attacking invader’s country; invasion would never have happened under Trump.

Fact: Biden administration did restrict Ukraine from using U.S. weapons inside Russia until mid-2024, but Ukraine conducted offensive actions (including with other weapons) and restrictions were eventually lifted. Military experts disagree over the necessity of attacking invaders’ territory for victory. The Trump counterfactual is unsupported by verifiable evidence.

Opinion: The post is misleading, reduces complex issues to partisan extremes, and promotes division through hostile rhetoric. Discussion should be fact-based and civil, especially when critiquing major policy decisions.

TruthScore: 4

True: Biden did restrict U.S. weapons for strikes inside Russia, but not all offensive capabilities or aid were denied and the policy changed over time.

Hyperbole: Claims that Ukraine was limited to “only DEFEND” and that there was “ZERO CHANCE” of war under Trump.

Lies: No direct lies, but counterfactual claims about what would or would not have happened under Trump are unverifiable and misleading.