The claim

American President Joe Biden is said to have grabbed his Ukrainian counterpart's ass during his visit to Washington

Our conclusion

No, the hand wasn't on the bottom. The image has been manipulated.

Mimikama is back from the all too short Christmas holidays. And we have to deal with such a topic straight away? Well, normally something like this is something we don't care about. Joe Biden is said to have grabbed the Ukrainian president's ass? You don't believe that yourself!

Volodymyr Zelenskyj is not happy about the alleged attack?

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The state visit

The Ukrainian president is a very busy man these days. On December 20th he visited the front in the city of Bakhmut, in the heavily contested Donetsk Oblast. Distributed medals, spoke to military representatives while artillery fire could be heard in the background.

Focus Online about the front-line visit to Bakhmut

The very next day, Volodymyr Zelenskyj arrived in Washington for a state visit. It was about further arms deliveries and support for the Ukrainian cause in the war against Russia. Joe Biden and his wife Jill received the Ukrainian President in front of the White House and promised in solidarity and in a media-effective manner: “The American people proudly stand by the Ukrainian people.”

Zelensky is welcomed by B(e)iden

Volodymyr Zelenskyj also used the state visit to give a speech to the US Congress. He argued that further military aid to his country would represent an investment in future global freedom and security.

Volodymyr Zelenskyj before the US Congress

The hand on the butt or on the back?

The picture showing Joe Biden, his wife Jill and the Ukrainian president from behind was taken during the welcome in front of the White House. The excerpt shows media representatives gathered in front of the Washington Monument, the obelisk to the left of the US President. The White House press service captured this exact moment, and the photo was later shared on Jill Biden's official Twitter account:

First Lady, Jill Biden on Twitter

However, Joe Biden's hand is on Zelensky's back and not on his butt. Of course, just a moment later, the American president could let his hand slip further down. So that's not proof of a fake.

The first signs of manipulation can already be seen with the naked eye: On the fake you can see a small spot of light near Joe Biden's elbow. Since the posture has not changed from the original image, this area of ​​his back should be in shadow. A second indication is how clumsily Zelensky's back was painted over: wrinkles in the clothing have completely disappeared and the color depth has suffered.

MIMIKAMA
The hand of FLOTUS Jill Biden: improperly crafted

When enlarged, the areas where work was done improperly are noticeable. The image above shows the detail of Jill Biden's hand enlarged four times: Where Joe Biden's thumb was under Jill's hand, a few pixels between the fingers can still be seen. The online magazine OpIndia analyzed three other parts of the photo for its article and came to the same conclusion:

The hand on the butt is a fake!


Sources: Jill Biden 's Twitter presence , CSPAN , Newsweek on YouTube , OpIndia , Focus Online and AFP on YouTube

More fact checks: The young person dancing in front of the swastika in Ukraine

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