Donald Trump made it pretty clear before he won the US presidential election that one of his priorities was going to be ending the war in Ukraine – and quickly.
Over the last few days, we’ve heard an awful lot of analysis and opinion about the nature of the talks – people will have different opinions on the compromises that might need to be made in order to stop the fighting, and the best way of ensuring a peace that lasts.
In journalism, it’s important to reflect both sides of an argument, listen, understand nuance, different perspectives, be aware of your own bias.
But it’s also important to state facts – and call out things that aren’t true.
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On Tuesday night, Donald Trump said Ukraine “should never have started” the war with Russia.
That is not true – and it should be called out.
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So what’s going on? Well, according to Boris Johnson, Europeans should “stop being scandalised” by Donald Trump.
“Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action,” he said.
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Is this all a negotiating tactic from the US president? It’s certainly possible – and some would agree that Europe needs to step up.
But despite all that, facts matter – and this one matters more than most.
It seems to me, if you’re trying to end a war, you need to face up to the truth of how it started.
