Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Volodymyr Zelensky only benefited from 4 % support in Ukraine, suggesting elections in the country. The kyiv International Sociology Institute quickly contradicted these remarks, revealing an approval rate of 57%.
Speaking on Wednesday in Mar-A-Lago after Russian-American talks in Saudi ArabiaDonald Trump strongly criticized Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that the manager only benefits from minimal support from the Ukrainians and suggesting organizing elections in Ukraine.
“We are in a situation where there were no elections in Ukraine, where there is martial law, where the Ukrainian leader, I hate saying it, but he has an approval rate of 4 %”said the billionaire.
The International Institute of Sociology of kyiv (KIIS) immediately contradicted Donald Trump’s claims, by publishing the results of a survey giving Volodymyr Zelensky 57 % approval by Ukrainian citizens at the beginning of February.
“The disinformation of the 4 % support comes from Russia. We understand it, and we have proof that these figures are the subject of discussions between the United States and Russia.”
“Unfortunately, President Trump, with all the respect due to him as the leader of a nation that we respect a lot (…) lives in this disinformation space”he added.
The president and the authorities deemed legitimate by the deputy director of Kiis
kyiv’s Institute of Sociology International Sociology Institute was carried out even before Donald Trump had his first phone call with his Russian counterpartVladimir Putin.
In addition, Zelensky’s support increased from 52 % in December 2024 to 57 % at the beginning of February.
For comparison, the latest CBS News/Yougov survey in early February revealed that 53 % of American citizens have approved Donald Trump’s general work so far.
Commenting on the latest assessments, Kiis’s deputy director Anton Hrushetskyi said Volodymyr Zelensky retained a fairly high level of confidence in society and, even more, that it retained its legitimacy.
“While some international partners and allies are concerned about the president’s legitimacy in the context of possible peace negotiations and deem appropriate to insist on the holding of elections, from the point of view of the Ukrainian citizens themselves, he n ‘there is no problem “, said Mr. Hrushetskyi.
“The current president and the authorities are completely legitimate for carrying out complex negotiations, and the elections should take place after the end of the war and when Ukraine has at least received reliable security guarantees”he added.
Elections prohibited by martial law
Ukraine had to organize a presidential election in March or April 2024, after the first five -year term of Mr. Zelensky. The ballot has been postponed because the constitution of the country did not authorize the holding of elections under the martial law, which was declared on February 24, 2022, the day when Russia launched its large -scale invasion of Ukraine.
During the Munich Conference on Security held on Saturday, the Ukrainian President said he was ready to discuss elections in Ukraine, but that his compatriots did not want it because they feared that the lifting of Martial law does not affect the defense of the country.
“I focus on the survival of our country. This is what I did throughout my mandate”he said.