Kyiv, Feb 21 (EFE).- A new survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) reveals that 63 percent of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, contradicting US President Donald Trump\u2019s recent claim that his approval rating is just 4 percent.<\/p>
In a previous KIIS survey, published a day after Trump made that remark, 57 percent of respondents said they trusted Zelenskyy.<\/p>
That figure marked a five-percentage-point increase from December, according to the polling organization.<\/p>
The latest poll also found that 73 percent of the 1,600 surveyed Ukrainians consider Zelenskyy an “intelligent person,” while 63 percent see him as a strong leader.<\/p>
Trump did not provide a source for his claim that Zelenskyy\u2019s approval rating is just 4 percent. Zelenskyy attributed the figure to a Russian disinformation campaign and criticized Trump for relying on Kremlin narratives.<\/p>
Trump referred to Zelenskyy as a \u201cdictator without elections,\u201d accusing him of not calling for a vote at the end of his term in May last year.<\/p>
However, Ukrainian law prohibits elections while martial law is in effect, a measure enacted after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion.<\/p>
The Trump administration has pushed for Ukraine to hold elections as part of efforts to secure lasting peace, but Kyiv maintains that voting cannot take place until the war ends.<\/p>
At a press conference in Kyiv, Zelenskyy addressed Trump\u2019s Tuesday comments.<\/p>
\u201cRegarding this 4 percent, we see it as disinformation. We have evidence that these numbers originate from Russia,\u201d Zelenskyy said.<\/p>
The Ukrainian president confirmed that a recent economic proposal from the White House suggested Ukraine cede 50 percent of its natural resources to the US in exchange for continued support, an issue previously reported by media citing Ukrainian sources.<\/p>
He clarified that the deal included no guarantee of continued US backing and stressed that Kyiv had not signed it.<\/p>
Zelenskyy also refuted Trump\u2019s claim that the US must recover $500 billion from Ukrainian minerals to balance its aid contributions. According to him, Ukraine has received approximately $67 billion in military aid and $31.5 billion in financial assistance from Washington. EFE<\/p>
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