During a press conference on Tuesday night, Trump attributed the conflict with Russia to Ukraine and suggested that Kyiv should organize new elections. This marked his first public comments after high-level U.S.-Russia discussions held in Riyadh earlier on the same day.
Trump stated that Ukraine “should have never initiated” the war with Russia. He further criticized Zelenskyy, describing him as “grossly incompetent” and asserted that his approval rating is only 4 percent.
In response to Trump’s comments, Zelenskyy remarked on Wednesday, “I don’t typically comment on ratings — but following that assertion, I checked, and my ranking is at 57 percent. We were aware of this 4 percent figure; it’s just Russian disinformation circulating.”
Zelenskyy referenced a recent study by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology released on Wednesday morning, which indicated that approximately 57 percent of Ukrainians have confidence in his leadership, representing a 5 percentage point increase since December. The survey was conducted between February 4 and 9.
Zelenskyy expressed his willingness to offer full transparency to Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, during his visit to Kyiv on Wednesday.
He also invited Kellogg to engage directly with the Ukrainian populace to inquire whether they trust their president, their views on Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and their reactions to Trump’s recent statements regarding the war.
