Russian propaganda spreads false claims about Zelensky's visit to Washington
Pro-Kremlin media outlets and bot networks on social media are spreading claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was allegedly not met by representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration upon his arrival in Washington on October 17.
According to these false reports, Zelensky was supposedly greeted by his own aircraft crew to "hide" the absence of U.S. officials at the airport.
Pro-Russian bloggers have also circulated a fake quote attributed to Zelensky, claiming he said he "no longer feels like a welcome guest in the United States."
These are fabrications. Zelensky's official X (Twitter) account published a video showing Abigail Jones, Acting Chief of Protocol at the U.S. Department of State, greeting Zelensky at the aircraft stairs.
U.S. diplomatic protocol distinguishes strictly between different types of visits. During state visits, foreign leaders are welcomed by the U.S. President or Vice President, while during working visits, the greeting is conducted by the Chief of Protocol of the State Department.
Zelensky's October trip was a working visit, focused on discussions regarding military and energy assistance for Ukraine. Therefore, the airport reception by the State Department's Chief of Protocol was fully consistent with standard diplomatic practice.
Publicly available photos show Abigail Jones greeting other world leaders in a similar manner — for instance, she welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the aircraft stairs.
Moreover, the man Russian propagandists falsely identified as the plane's "pilot" is in fact Major General Borys Kremenetskyi, Ukraine's Defense Attache to the United States. It is standard diplomatic procedure for Ukrainian defense attaches and diplomats to meet the president at the airport during foreign visits.
The quote falsely attributed to Zelensky about not feeling welcome in the U.S. has no credible source or media reference and was never published by reputable outlets. Zelensky has never made such a public statement. On the contrary, his remarks after the meeting with Trump reflected a positive tone in bilateral relations, emphasizing both readiness for peace negotiations and the importance of continued U.S. support amid Russia's war against Ukraine.
Such disinformation campaigns are part of ongoing Russian efforts to undermine Ukraine's leadership and spread false narratives about allied "fatigue" and a supposed decline in Western support for Kyiv.
Russian propaganda had earlier released a deepfake video featuring Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, falsely depicting him as threatening to cut off heating for draft evaders.
Andriy Olenin
