POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Did France, Ukraine feed Trump false intelligence to see if it would leak to Putin?
The Claim A viral claim circulating in late 2026 suggested that France and Ukraine had fed false intelligence to former U.S. President Donald Trump in an attempt to test whether he would leak it to...
The Claim
A viral claim circulating in late 2026 suggested that France and Ukraine had fed false intelligence to former U.S. President Donald Trump in an attempt to test whether he would leak it to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The claim gained traction across social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, Substack, Medium, and Reddit.
The specific statement that triggered public concern originated from a post by X user Luc Rombout, who claimed that Ukrainian intelligence services had sent false strategic information to U.S. intelligence agencies, which was then relayed to Russia. This led to speculation that Trump or members of his administration were leaking intelligence to Moscow. The claim was further amplified when an Instagram user shared a screenshot of Rombout’s post, with a caption suggesting that while the rumor was unproven, it fueled concerns about potential leaks.
The Details & Investigation
The claim appears to have originated from a mistranslation or misinterpretation of an interview that aired on French television channel LCI on January 16, 2026. The interview featured Vincent Crouzet, a former official at France’s Directorate General for External Security (DGSE). During the discussion, Crouzet stated that Ukrainian intelligence officials had lost trust in the U.S. due to suspected leaks of sensitive information to Russia. He did not claim that Ukraine had deliberately fed false intelligence to the U.S., nor did he suggest that the U.S. had leaked it to Russia.
Crouzet later clarified his remarks in a follow-up X post, stating, “No, I did not say that: I said Ukrainians suspected risks of information leaks from the U.S. to the Russians.” However, the original interview was widely shared online, and some users, including Luc Rombout, interpreted the statements as evidence that Ukraine had intentionally fed false information to the U.S. to observe its response. This interpretation was likely influenced by the timing of the interview, which coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France would now provide two-thirds of Ukraine’s intelligence.
Snopes investigated the claim and found no evidence confirming that Ukraine had provided false intelligence to the U.S. Instead, the rumor appeared to stem from a misunderstanding of Crouzet’s comments. The video clip in question was part of a segment on the LCI program 24H Pujadas, which was broadcast on January 16, 2026. The clip itself was genuine and not generated using AI tools. Rombout, who posted the misleading interpretation, later claimed he was quoting the discussion and not fabricating the content. However, his initial post was deleted, and the context of Crouzet’s remarks was not clearly conveyed, leading to confusion among viewers.
📄 POLICY WIRE WHITEPAPER PUBLISHED: PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY PRIORITIES
Further examination revealed that the claim may have been amplified by broader narratives surrounding U.S.-Ukrainian intelligence cooperation and the perceived reliability of the U.S. as an intelligence partner. Some posts linked the rumor to a supposed break in trust between Ukrainian intelligence and the U.S., citing an alleged event in February 2025 during a meeting in the Oval Office. However, these details were not corroborated by independent sources, and there is no evidence to support the idea that Ukraine deliberately fed false information to the U.S. for testing purposes.
The Verdict
The viral claim that France and Ukraine fed false intelligence to Donald Trump to see if it would leak to Putin is a case of MISINFORMATION. While the claim was widely circulated and sparked significant public concern, it lacks any credible evidence to support the assertion that Ukraine intentionally provided false information to the U.S. for the purpose of testing its reliability or leakage to Russia.
The origin of the claim can be traced back to a misinterpretation of an interview with Vincent Crouzet, which was further distorted by social media users like Luc Rombout. Although Crouzet mentioned that Ukrainian intelligence had lost trust in the U.S. due to suspected leaks, he never stated that Ukraine had fed false information to the U.S. or that the U.S. had leaked it to Russia. The lack of verified sources, official statements, or primary documentation to support the claim means that it cannot be classified as deliberate disinformation, but rather as a misinterpreted or exaggerated account of a complex geopolitical situation.
Given the absence of direct evidence and the likelihood of translation or contextual errors, the claim should be considered MISLEADING rather than outright FALSE. It reflects a broader trend of misinformation around U.S.-Ukrainian intelligence relations and the role of former U.S. leaders in foreign policy decisions.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
