Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say, "The risk that Russia will occupy Europe is 100%," without adding conditions to that statement or qualifying it? No, that's not true: A viral video of an interview on Meet The Press left out the part of the video just before he said that sentence. The full context of the interview shows Zelenskyy saying that if the United States withdrew from NATO or if NATO was destroyed, the risk of Russia occupying Europe (or part of it) would be 100 percent.
The edited video clip appeared in a post on X (archived here) from an account named BRICS News, where it was published on February 16, 2025. It read:
JUST IN: 🇺🇦🇷🇺 Ukrainian President Zelensky says "the risk that Russia will occupy Europe is 100%."
Do you agree?
This is what the post looked like:
JUST IN: 🇺🇦🇷🇺 Ukrainian President Zelensky says "the risk that Russia will occupy Europe is 100%."
-- BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) February 16, 2025
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/AKRRpLhUj3
The full transcript of Meet The Press published on February 16 by NBC News (archived here and here) shows the moments leading up to the sentence:
KRISTEN WELKER:Let me ask you if it's possible for you to say some of that in English because it's very powerful what you're saying, it's very important. You had a message to Vice President Vance about the potential implications of pulling out of NATO. What was your message to the vice president?
PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY:That, that will be destroying of NATO.
NATO.KRISTEN WELKER:Why?
PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY:Because in 80 strong brigades in Europe, I'm just speaking about NATO in Europe, so about 30, 30, it's more than 30%, is United States. And even if I will look at the army of Russia, if they will see it that they, Russia, have 220 or 250 brigades, and Europe has 50. That is the answer. The risk that Russia will occupy Europe is 100%.
KRISTEN WELKER: If the United States pulls out of NATO -
PRES. VOLODYMRY ZELENSKYY: Yes.
KRISTEN WELKER:- Russia will occupy Europe.
PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY:Yes. Not all the, not all the Europe. They will begin from those countries, as I said who are big our friends but small countries who've been in the USSR, in the Soviet Union. They will begin, and we will see what will be the answer. But Europe will not answer because they don't have -they will begin to defend itself. Each country defend itself. And at this moment, so Russia will get all the successes with all the territory they will want. I don't know they will want 30% ofEurope, 50%, I don't know. Nobody knows. But they will have this possibility.
(Bold highlights show Zelenskyy statements about NATO preceding the clipped part of the video, italics show the part of the conversation in the video clip)
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Other Lead Stories fact checks involving Volodymyr Zelenskyy can be read here.
