Zelenskyy's approval rating rises to 72%, Ukrainians oppose elections during war: Survey

Contrary to what US President Donald Trump has said, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not just the most popular leader in his country but has seen his popularity surge in recent days.

Last month, Trump had called Zelenskyy a “dictator” who has been ruling with a democratic mandate and, days later, berated him in a live broadcast to the world for calling Russian leader Vladimir Putin names and insisting on a peace deal involving security guarantees and kicked him out of the White House without signing the minerals deal or holding closed door talks.

The latest Ipsos/Economist poll has found that 72 per cent of Ukrainians approve of Zelenskyy and 62 per cent reject elections as long as the war is on.

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Under Ukrainian constitution, elections cannot be held as long as the country is under martial law. The country is currently under martial law because of the Russian war on Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s approval has risen lately

While Trump and Putin want Zelenskyy out of office, their efforts appear to be having the opposite effect.

Zelenskyy’s popularity has surged in recent weeks. While the latest Ipsos/Economist poll found Zelenskyy approval rating to be 74 per cent, a survey earlier this month by the Kyiv International Institute for Sociology found that Zelenskyy had the approval rating of 67 per cent — up from the 57 per cent the previous month.

This shows that Trump’s humiliation of Zelenskyy has had the opposing effect on his popularity at home.

There are indications that Trump has started the regime change agenda in Ukraine with covert outreach to Zelenskyy’s rivals. However, the Ipsos survey found that Zelenskyy is expected to win if elections would be held today and drive Valery Zaluzhny, a popular former top general, to a distant second place.

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At 62 per cent, most of the Ukrainians reject elections until the end of the war. Only 19 per cent people want elections during a ceasefire and just 14 per cent people want elections to take place as soon as possible.