Fact-Checking | Misleading Statements by Putin at the G20 Online Summit

On Tuesday, December 7, the Poligraph website, a fact-checking project of Voice of America, examined the erroneous and misleading claims made by Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, during the latest online G20 summit held on November 23. He initially portrayed a peace-seeking image, blaming Ukraine as the main culprit for Russia's military invasion of the country: "It was Ukraine, not Russia, that publicly announced it was withdrawing from the negotiation process." This claim is misleading as Putin can stop the war at any moment, yet continues to send troops to Ukraine and seeks to establish laws that legitimize the occupation of Ukraine and the abduction of Ukrainian children. On February 24, 2022, Putin ordered his forces to enter Ukrainian territory, intending to host a victory parade in the famous 'Maidan' square in Kyiv a week later. Before the invasion, Putin wrote an article denying Ukraine's sovereignty and history, declaring it an inseparable part of Russia, a viewpoint he has repeatedly emphasized in his speeches. Until the day of the invasion, Putin lied to his foreign counterparts about his military plans, to the extent that his agencies accused the United States of 'Russophobia' for its warnings about a potential Russian attack on Ukraine. Over his 20 years of rule in Russia, Putin has repeatedly violated international treaties and commitments. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, called Vladimir Putin a 'liar' on November 14 on social media, explaining why Ukraine cannot trust the Russian leader. The Institute for the Study of War, based in Washington D.C., reported last month that there are no signs of Russia's efforts for peace negotiations and ending the war. On November 10, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, told CNN that Ukraine is ready to negotiate: 'But with a different Russia, one that is truly ready for peace.' In his remarks at the G20 summit, after blaming Ukraine for the Russian attack, Putin began explaining his reasons for starting the war. He referred to the 'Revolution of Dignity' in Ukraine as a 'military coup' and accused Ukraine of crimes in the Donbas region – an area in Ukraine where Russia has been supporting separatist movements against the Ukrainian government since 2014. This claim is also misleading. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, a coup is 'the sudden and violent overthrow of the current government by a small group.' In contrast, a revolution is achieved 'by a large number of people working for fundamental social, economic, and political changes.' In the events of 2014 in Kyiv, military force played no role. A military unit from Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs was sent to Kyiv to confront the 'Maidan' protesters, not to support them, and its members were trapped by the protesters at their base and never reached Kyiv. Viktor Yanukovych, the then-President, fled to Russia amid protests against his refusal to sign a cooperation agreement with the European Union, not due to a conspiracy by the country's political or military elites. Following the 'Revolution of Dignity' in 2014, Russia illegally occupied Crimea. At the same time, a group of armed Russian militants infiltrated Donbas and began military conflict there. By mid-2015, Russia had deployed regular army units to support the militants in Donbas. Continuing his remarks at the G20 summit, Putin criticized the economic situation in Ukraine while ignoring the destruction of Ukrainian cities by Russia, the devastation of agricultural and industrial infrastructure due to the war, and the human toll. He presented Russia as a reliable humanitarian country in the world, stating: 'I am here to inform you that the first ships with free grain have been sent to needy countries in Africa.' This is also a misleading claim. On September 4, Putin refused to extend Moscow's participation in the grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports and targeted Ukraine's maritime ports with missile attacks. Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine accounted for 10 percent of the global wheat market. At the end of his speech at the G20, Putin claimed that the aim of Russian forces is to 'restore justice' to Ukraine. This is another misleading claim, as Russian soldiers currently present in Ukraine are accused of committing war crimes and even genocide in Ukraine. The International Court of Justice has also issued an arrest warrant for Putin due to the mass abduction of Ukrainian children, an issue that has limited Putin's travel outside Russia and was one of the reasons for holding the G20 summit virtually. Ukraine has urged its Western allies to increase 'defense production' to counter the Russian invasion. Putin significantly increased Russia's military budget. Russia's attack on the Kherson region in Ukraine left four dead. Ukraine claims to have fortified its positions along the Dnipro River. Ukraine: Despite the Russian missile attack, an alternative export route in the Black Sea remains open. Reuters, citing six informed sources, reported that Putin intends to remain in power at least until 2030.