By John Q. Hosedrinker 
A February 2024 Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey revealed that 57% of Ukrainians trust President Zelensky, a five-percentage-point increase since December, contradicting former U.S. President Trump’s unsubstantiated claim of a 4% approval rating. Despite a year of declining popularity, Zelensky maintains majority support. This increase follows Kremlin propaganda efforts to discredit Zelensky’s legitimacy by falsely suggesting his term should have ended in May 2024, ignoring Ukraine’s constitutional prohibition on elections during martial law. The KIIS survey, conducted via phone with 1,000 respondents, indicates no domestic concerns regarding Zelensky’s legitimacy.
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Zelensky’s trust rating has surprisingly increased to 57%, according to a recent Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll. This significant rise, a five-point jump since December, directly contradicts former US President Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that the Ukrainian president’s approval rating sits at a paltry 4%. This stark contrast highlights a significant discrepancy in the portrayal of Zelensky’s standing within Ukraine.
The poll’s results clearly demonstrate that Zelensky still retains the confidence of a substantial majority of Ukrainians, with only 37% expressing distrust. This finding challenges the narrative propagated by some international figures, including Trump, who have questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy due to the postponement of elections under martial law. The Ukrainian government’s position, supported by its constitution, is that holding elections during wartime is simply not feasible.
Trump’s push for immediate Ukrainian elections, and his blaming of Zelensky for prolonging the war, seems suspiciously aligned with Russia’s own pressure for a swift negotiated peace. This raises concerns about potential influence or alignment with Moscow’s interests. It’s particularly noteworthy considering that Trump’s own approval rating hovers around 44%, making his attempt to undermine Zelensky’s leadership even more curious.
The 4% figure cited by Trump is demonstrably unrealistic and absurd. For a sitting president leading a nation amidst a full-scale war—a war instigated shortly after his election—such a low approval rating is statistically improbable. Even accounting for potential war-weariness and blame assigned to the president for the conflict’s continuation, it’s a well-established fact in political science that people are hesitant to change leaders during times of crisis, especially when facing an external enemy.
Furthermore, Zelensky’s global prominence, his role as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, and the international recognition of his leadership makes the 4% figure even more implausible. It seems highly unlikely that a figure of such international importance would possess such negligible support within his own country. The idea itself almost contradicts the reality of his global standing.
The question then arises: why would Trump make such a statement? Several possibilities exist. It’s possible he was influenced by inaccurate information from Russia, perhaps propaganda relayed by Putin himself. It is also possible that he is simply so stubborn and impulsive that his staff couldn’t stop him from making such a statement. The lack of any apparent basis for such a low figure raises serious concerns about the reliability of the information he is receiving and utilizing.
Another possibility is that the statement served as a communication strategy aimed at his MAGA base, or to demonstrate to Europe his unwillingness to listen to their concerns and leave them to fend for themselves. Alternatively, it might have been an attempt to divert attention from domestic criticisms or to exert pressure on Ukraine for a favorable mineral deal.
Regardless of the underlying motivation, the 4% claim is easily dismissed by anyone with even a basic understanding of statistics and political realities. Even the suggestion itself is so outlandish that it defies credibility. The significant discrepancy between Trump’s claim and the actual 57% approval rating, confirmed by independent polling, underscores the importance of verifying information and the dangers of relying on unsubstantiated claims from political figures, especially when those claims align with the interests of adversarial nations. The situation demonstrates the ongoing information warfare surrounding the conflict and the need to critically evaluate the claims of powerful individuals. The clear divergence between the poll’s findings and Trump’s assertion is a testament to the power of objective data and the continued support Zelensky enjoys among his people.