Zelensky smiles when asked if Trump uses him as scapegoat
Ukrainian president pauses for 15 seconds before responding to a Sky News journalist's question in Brussels.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Zelensky smiles when asked if Trump uses him as scapegoat
Photograph: Hot News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Volodymyr Zelensky was asked by a Sky News journalist if he felt used as a scapegoat for Donald Trump's domestic issues.
- Zelensky paused for approximately 15 seconds before responding with a smile, "That is my answer."
- The response reportedly caused laughter in the press room at the European Council in Brussels.
- HotNews.ro reported that Trump had previously announced an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow not to attack energy facilities and that the war in Ukraine was causing increased diesel prices in the US.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 18 of the 27 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
41/100
27 sources · methodology
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked by a Sky News journalist if he felt he was being used as a scapegoat for Donald Trump's domestic problems. The question was posed during a press conference at the European Council in Brussels.
Zelensky paused for approximately 15 seconds before responding with a smile, stating, "That is my answer." The response reportedly caused laughter in the press room.
Disagreement on Trump's prior statements and Starlink restrictions
HotNews.ro reported that Trump had previously announced an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow not to attack energy facilities and that the war in Ukraine was causing increased diesel prices in the US. HotNews.ro also stated that the US imposed restrictions on Starlink communications, affecting Ukrainian armed forces.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports mention the specific details provided by HotNews.ro regarding Donald Trump's prior announcement of an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow not to attack energy facilities, nor the report that the war in Ukraine was causing increased diesel prices in the US, nor the statement that the US imposed restrictions on Starlink communications affecting Ukrainian armed forces.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 16 Oct 2026, 15:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports focused on the question posed to Zelensky and his reaction. Meduza stated that Zelensky declined to discuss his relationship with Trump. HotNews.ro provided additional context, reporting that Trump had previously announced an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow not to attack energy facilities and that the war in Ukraine was causing increased diesel prices in the US. This report also stated that the US imposed restrictions on Starlink communications, affecting Ukrainian armed forces.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report from 15min.lt highlighted Zelensky's 15-second silence and smile in response to the question about being a scapegoat for Trump's problems. It noted that he eventually said, "That is my answer," which prompted laughter in the press room.
Right
6 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports from Het Laatste Nieuws, Le Figaro, Times of India, La Nación, news-pravda.com, and Aftenposten focused on Zelensky's reaction to the question. Headlines described his response as a "witty grin," a "simple smile," or noted that he "just smiles." Several reports mentioned the 15-second silence before his response. La Nación noted Zelensky reacted to questions about Trump while calling for unity between Europe and the US. News-pravda.com stated Zelensky "could not find the words" and "only forced a smile."
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Zelensky smiles when asked if Trump uses him as scapegoat?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 22% are rated left, 11% are rated centre, 67% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 27. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Zelensky smiles when asked if Trump uses him as scapegoat left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Zelensky smiles when asked if Trump uses him as scapegoat biased?
- Zelensky smiles when asked if Trump uses him as scapegoat is one event reported by 27 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Zelensky smiles when asked if Trump uses him as scapegoat?
- 27 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What was Volodymyr Zelensky asked about Donald Trump?
- A Sky News journalist asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if he felt he was being used as a scapegoat for Donald Trump's domestic problems. This question was posed during a press conference at the European Council in Brussels.
- How did Zelensky respond to the question?
- Zelensky paused for approximately 15 seconds before responding with a smile. He then stated, "That is my answer." This response reportedly caused laughter in the press room.
- Did any reports mention specific actions by Trump related to Ukraine?
- HotNews.ro reported that Donald Trump had previously announced an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow not to attack energy facilities. This report also stated that the war in Ukraine was causing increased diesel prices in the US and that the US imposed restrictions on Starlink communications affecting Ukrainian armed forces.
Read it at the source
27 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
1Right
6- LOOK. Zelensky Answers with a Witty Grin to the Question of Whether He Is a “Scapegoat” for Trump’s Problems in the Run-up to the Midterms. (opens Het Laatste Nieuws in a new tab)
Het Laatste Nieuws — is Het Laatste Nieuws biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump's "Bouc Émissaire" ? His Answer Triggers the Laughter of the Audience in Brussels (opens Le Figaro in a new tab)
Le Figaro — is Le Figaro biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Asked if Trump is scapegoating him, Zelenskyy just smiles (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘This Is My Answer’: Zelenski’s Gesture to an Uncomfortable Question About Trump (opens La Nación, Grupo Nación in a new tab)
La Nación, Grupo Nación — is La Nación, Grupo Nación biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "That's my answer.". Zelensky could not find the words to the journalist's uncomfortable question about Trump and only forced a smile. He was asked if Trump had made Zelensky a "scapegoat." (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- – Do You Feel Like Trump's Scapegoat? Then Zelenskyy Fell Completely Silent (opens Aftenposten in a new tab)
Aftenposten — is Aftenposten biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Not rated
18- Zelensky Laughed at the Question that He Was a Scapegoat for Trump. (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
- – Do You Feel Like Trump's Scapegoat? Then Zelenskyy Fell Completely Silent (opens aftenbladet.no in a new tab)
aftenbladet.no — is aftenbladet.no biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Zelenski, Asked if Trump Turns Him Into "the Scapegoat for the War in Iran. The Ironic Answer of the Ukrainian Leader (opens Adevarul in a new tab)
- Is Zelensky a Trump Scapegoat? The Person Concerned Smiles in Response (opens RTL Info in a new tab)
RTL Info — is RTL Info biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- “This Is My Answer”: How Zelensky Reacted to the Question Whether Trump Made Him a “Scapegoat” (opens ТСН.ua in a new tab)
- Zelensky: "Putin Wants to Destroy Us" - The Deafening 15-Second Silence for Trump (opens enikos.gr in a new tab)
- "Are You Trump's Scapegoat?": Zelensky's Smiling Response (opens sigmalive.com in a new tab)
sigmalive.com — is sigmalive.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- After a Question About D. Trump, V. Zelensky's Eloquent Reaction (opens lrytas.lt in a new tab)
lrytas.lt — is lrytas.lt biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Show 10 more
- "This Is My Answer. Zelenski's Reaction, Asked if Trump Makes Him "Spendable Turkey" for His Failed War in Iran (opens antena3.ro in a new tab)
antena3.ro — is antena3.ro biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Zelensky's Reaction to the Question of Whether He Is Trump's “Scapegoat” — The References to Patriot, Starlink and Putin (opens OnAlert in a new tab)
- ‘That is my answer’: Zelenskyy smiles at suggestion he is a scapegoat for Trump’s problems – Europe live (opens online-listing.com in a new tab)
online-listing.com — is online-listing.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zelensky: We Expect an Additional 70 Billion Euros in 2027 – Trump's "Scapegoat", Starlink and Negotiations with Russia (opens ertnews.gr in a new tab)
ertnews.gr — is ertnews.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Question About Trump Made Zelensky Smile: Incidents in Bulgaria Show the Great Risks for Europe From the War in Ukraine (opens Actualno.com in a new tab)
Actualno.com — is Actualno.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Zelensky Answers a Question About Trump with a Smile (opens Business Daily in a new tab)
Business Daily — is Business Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zelensky: Starlink Has Not Been Fully Restored, We Are Looking for Alternatives with... (opens frognews.bg in a new tab)
frognews.bg — is frognews.bg biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zelensky Made a Demonstrative Gesture in Response to a Question About Trump (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Zelensky to Trump: "If I Don't Resist, We Are Headed Down a Dangerous Path" (opens dnews.gr in a new tab)
- Europe Supports Zelenski, Who Sees Trump's Scapegoat (opens Folha de S.Paulo in a new tab)
Folha de S.Paulo — is Folha de S.Paulo biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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