What Is the Actual Approval Rating of Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy?

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a conversation with journalists, stated that Zelenskyy’s approval rating is only 4% and that Ukraine needs elections. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented that his actual approval rating is 57%. How accurate is this figure?

For this article, the UNITED24 Media team examined data from various sociological surveys over different periods to determine the true level of support for Ukraine’s current president.

2025

Where did Zelenskyy get the 57% figure? This data comes from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). The survey was conducted in early February 2025, showing a trust level of 57% in the president, with 37% expressing distrust. Compared to December 2024, this indicator improved: two months prior, the trust level was 52%.  

Support for President Zelenskyy remains high, according to an express public opinion survey conducted by the research company Gradus Research on February 19, 2025. If elections were held next Sunday, 23% would vote for him, the highest result among potential candidates.

2024

Zelenskyy’s trust rating was 51% in the fall, the highest among all Ukrainian governmental institutions, according to surveys by the Ukrainian think tank, Razumkov Center.

Another study by the Razumkov Center in June 2024 showed a trust rating of 54% for Zelenskyy. The KIIS reported a 59% trust level in May 2024.

Zelenskyy’s support stood at 69% at the beginning of 2024. 

Trust in Zelenskyy fluctuated throughout the challenging year of 2024. One issue during this time was the prolonged delay in arms supplies from the U.S., affecting the frontline situation. On the other hand, Ukraine managed to conduct a highly successful operation in Russia’s Kursk region, capturing over 1,300 square kilometers of its territory. By the end of 2024, support decreased to 51%, the lowest during the war period, yet still, more than half the population trusted the president.

Zelenskyy’s rating saw its most significant decline in the spring of 2024. One reason was the spread of disinformation claiming that elections were not being held in the country. In reality, conducting elections during wartime is prohibited by the Constitution of Ukraine, the nation’s primary law, and such accusations are merely attempts to destabilize the situation. A total of 52% of Ukrainians consider holding elections inappropriate until the war concludes, according to the study of the market and sociological research company in Ukraine, Gradus Research.

2022-2023

In the first two years of the full-scale invasion, the president’s rating soared and then declined. Ukraine was predicted to lose its capital in three days, but Zelenskyy not only remained in Kyiv but was also active in supporting Ukraine, recording numerous addresses, visiting territories liberated from Russian occupation, and traveling to the front lines. Ukrainian forces managed to defend the nation’s sovereignty.

At the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, trust in Zelenskyy rose to phenomenal figures, with nearly the entire population expressing confidence. Despite the challenging initial months, by May 2022, support was at 90% and gradually declined. By December 2022, this figure had decreased to 84%. The Armed Forces of Ukraine demonstrated significant successes, liberating the Kharkiv region and the city of Kherson: all major regional centers of Ukraine remained under Ukrainian control.

Throughout 2023, support decreased to 71%, according to the Razumkov Center, and 62%, per the KIIS.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion

The lowest trust in Zelenskyy was in 2021: then, the trust level fell below half, which is typical for governments not only in Ukraine but worldwide. However, in the 2019 elections, 73% of voters supported Zelenskyy, and the elections were recognized as entirely independent, even by opponents and the opposition.

Throughout the three years of full-scale war, support for President Zelenskyy exceeded 50%, despite all challenges. Trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine also remains high among Ukrainians. As of February 2025, Zelenskyy’s support is even higher than that of Trump in the U.S.

Claims of dictatorship and low support levels are unfounded. Ukraine’s elections are suspended due to legal restrictions and the very fact of war—how can elections be safely conducted when Russian bombs and drones target Ukrainians daily, and a million soldiers are on the front lines? This situation differs from the U.S. in 1944 during WWII, when there was no war on American soil. Notably, politicians prefer not to recall the failed 1942 midterm elections when millions of soldiers couldn’t vote due to the war.