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We explore the messages that propaganda Telegram channels spread following the Paris meeting of the three countries’ leaders.
On December 7, 2024, in Paris, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump. This was their first meeting after Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election on November 4. The 35-minute-long meeting was also attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, who invited politicians to the opening of the restored Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral.
According to Reuters, during the half-hour conversation, Zelenskyy explained Ukraine’s need for security guarantees to end the full-scale war with Russia. However, the discussion did not include specific details about any vision for peace.
Nevertheless, disinformation creators quickly came up with several claims, alleging that Trump and Macron had supposedly “communicated independently” first before inviting Zelenskyy to join the talks.
After the meeting, the newly elected U.S. president posted on the Truth Social network, stating that “Zelenskyy and Ukraine” were looking to strike a deal and “stop the madness.”
Later, at his Florida estate, Donald Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who, in turn, spoke with Vladimir Putin a few days later. Their conversation reportedly addressed “economic issues and Ukraine’s security.”
Detector Media analyzed over 800 publications using the Semantrum tool to uncover propagandists’ predictions about the implications of Trump’s meetings for Ukraine. The analysis covered the period from December 7 to December 11, 2024.
Posts About Trump and Macron’s Meeting With Zelenskyy
On Telegram channels, Zelenskyy was portrayed as a “loser” who failed to conduct “proper negotiations.” On pro-Russian Telegram channels, any mention of the Ukrainian president’s desire to discuss ending the war framed the effort as unsuccessful.
For example, a Telegram channel with 145,000 subscribers posted:
“People want peace, but the government wants to prolong the war. Following the failed voyage to Paris, where the talks with Trump yielded nothing for Ukraine, rumor has it that Zelenskyy demanded that the Armed Forces of Ukraine implement a so-called ‘Christmas offensive.’”
On X (formerly Twitter), Zelenskyy’s account stated that the meeting with Trump and Macron went as expected:
“We all want to end this war as soon as possible and justly. We agreed to continue working,” the post read.
Moreover, Reuters, citing its own sources, reported that Trump “behaved in a friendly, respectful and open manner and appeared to be in listening mode.”
Despite this, a channel with 50,000 subscribers continued to push the narrative of an “incapable Zelenskyy,” saying:
“Perhaps Trump’s words that Ukraine should not expect ‘the same level of military assistance as during Biden’s time’ are an attempt to dissuade the Ukrainian leadership from another reckless move.”
Propagandists also tried to label Ukraine’s Defense Forces’ potential “offensive” as a reckless decision allegedly driven by Zelenskyy’s dissatisfaction with the Paris meeting.
There were some manipulative posts suggesting that Zelenskyy supposedly wanted to continue the war to the “bitter end”:
“The President’s Office has completely failed on the international track. In the West, fatigue from the Ukrainian crisis is growing, and it is already transforming into hatred of Ukraine. The trip to Paris did not yield any positive results. So, Zelenskyy plans to continue the war to the bitter end — who will stop him?” wrote a Telegram channel with close to 100,000 subscribers.
Thus, apart from mockery and the repeated narrative of “war to the last Ukrainian,” propagandists had no further insight into this topic.
Telegram posts also quoted former Trump adviser Roger Stone, who criticized the outfit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wore to the meeting.
According to Stone, Zelenskyy’s attire was “disrespectful to the American people.” He claimed that the Ukrainian president had worn a suit and tie at the World Economic Forum, yet even there, he appeared in informal clothing.
“Does Zelenskyy think he will be spared the fact that he dresses improperly at meetings? The leadership loyal to Trump has already noticed this. Ukraine should expect less assistance,” wrote a channel with around half a million subscribers.
Propagandists on Orbán and Trump’s Connections
On December 9, in Florida, the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The Hungarian leader not only met with Trump but also with businessman Elon Musk and Trump’s future National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz.
Orbán maintains a relationship with Trump and was the first EU leader to congratulate him on his election victory, even before the official results were confirmed. Simultaneously, Orbán has close ties with Vladimir Putin.
An anonymous Telegram channel with 196,000 subscribers described Orbán and Trump’s meeting as follows:
“It is assumed that issues related to Ukraine were raised during the meeting with Trump. Orbán’s good relations with Moscow might allow him to become one of the participants in a future peace settlement.”
This is how this Telegram channel described Orbán’s visit to the U.S.:
“Orbán is considered an expert on Ukraine. Moreover, America is looking for a candidate to replace Zelenskyy.”
Telegram posts also cited Orbán’s statement on X (formerly Twitter): “The future has begun!” This “future” likely referred to Orbán’s December 11 phone call with Putin. As with the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting, details of this conversation were not disclosed.
Propagandists wrote:
“The Russian president outlined his assessment of the situation and the destructive line of the Kyiv regime, which continues to exclude the possibility of a peaceful settlement. The conversation took place at Orban’s initiative.”
Following the Putin-Orbán call, the main message spread by propagandists on Telegram was that Orbán would allegedly soon become a “mediator” in potential peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. Since, as a Telegram channel with 80,000 subscribers wrote, “He will be the real and honest mediator for the time being.”
In 105 analyzed publications, disinformation creators claimed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly rejected Orbán’s proposal for a “Christmas ceasefire.” However, Zelenskyy did not publicly comment on the proposal. The only public statement he made regarding Orbán’s peace initiatives criticized the Hungarian leader’s phone call with Putin.
Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump occurred before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. During his campaign, Trump had promised to end hostilities in Ukraine within 24 hours. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has explained that the U.S. wants to “end the war as quickly as possible.” Trump has already appointed 80-year-old retired General Keith Kellogg as his special representative on Ukraine and Russia.
So far, Trump’s broad statement about ending the war soon marks an opportunity to speed up the process of ending the current military conflict. However, if the American leader does start looking for ways to end the war, he will do so on terms favorable to his administration.
Against this backdrop, Russian propagandists promote the idea that Ukraine’s fate can be decided without Ukraine. The positive attitude of propagandists toward Viktor Orbán’s international contacts and criticism of Orbán in the EU demonstrates that not everyone sees the pro-Putin Orbán as a potential mediator in negotiations to end the hostilities in Ukraine. The meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, and Emmanuel Macron demonstrates that the Ukrainian president and the future US president do not require the assistance of a pro-Russian EU politician.
Thus, the “strongest” argument Russian propagandists found to criticize the Paris meeting was Zelenskyy’s attire. However, even this “argument” was borrowed from conspiracy theorists in a nation on the “unfriendly countries list” — the United States of America.
Main page illustration and infographic by Nataliya Lobach
