President Volodymyr Zelensky's approval rating has risen to 68% following his heated exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology published on March 7.
The most significant jump came after the Feb. 28 Oval Office meeting, which ended in a public dispute over security guarantees for Ukraine and the cancellation of the U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement signing.
Before the diplomatic spat, a February 2025 survey showed that 57% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky, while 37% did not, resulting in a trust-distrust balance of +20%.
Between Feb. 14 and March 4, trust in Zelensky increased to 68%, with the share of those who do not trust him dropping to 29%, improving his net approval rating to +38%.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, took to X on March 6 to claim that if Ukraine were to hold an election, "Zelensky would lose by a landslide."
Trump had earlier accused Zelensky of being a "dictator without elections" while blaming his administration for prolonging the war. Trump's claim ignores the fact that Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
As a result, Zelensky's term has been extended, which constitutional lawyers argue is permitted under Ukrainian law.
The poll, conducted via telephone interviews, surveyed 1,029 adult Ukrainian citizens residing in government-controlled territories.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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