Trump’s statement is false: Zelensky’s support remains high, 23% of Ukrainians would vote for him

In his statement on February 18, 2025, US President Donald Trump said that support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was 4%. However, according to an express public opinion poll conducted by Gradus Research on February 19, 2025 among 1000 respondents, 23% of Ukrainians surveyed would vote for Volodymyr Zelenskyy support for President Zelenskyy remains consistently high. If elections were held next Sunday, 23% would vote for him, the highest result among potential candidates.

Trump increased pressure on Zelenskyy to hold elections — echoing one of Moscow’s key demands, seeking to destabilize the situation inside Ukraine.

However, the reality is different. Amid statements by Russia and Trump about Zelenskyy's allegedly low rating and illegitimacy, public support for the Ukrainian president is stable and currently stands at 23%, the highest result among potential candidates. While almost a third of Ukrainians (31%) have not yet decided who they would vote for.

“Ukrainians clearly understand that the situation requires unity and support for the current president. This is evidenced by our quick public opinion poll: Trump's statement had the opposite effect — mobilizing support. This is yet another proof that Ukrainian society reacts not only to internal factors but also to external signals, especially when they are perceived as pressure or threats,” comments Evgeniya Blyznyuk, sociologist, CEO&Founder of Gradus Research, ”As in early months of the war, the figure of the president is becoming a point of consolidation for resistance. The capacity for such consolidated resistance remains high, despite war fatigue, extremely high level of stress and vague prospects for ending the war in the foreseeable future. If at the end of last year we saw the rise of Ukrainians' expectations for peace, which were associated with the new US president, now these expectations have been dispelled and replaced by a sense of a new threat.”

It is also important to note that 52% of surveyed Ukrainians believe that it is inappropriate to hold elections before the end of the war.

The survey was conducted by Gradus Research using a self-completed questionnaire in the Gradus mobile application. The sample reflects the population structure of cities with more than 50 thousand inhabitants aged 18-60 by gender, age, settlement size, and region, excluding the temporarily occupied territories and territories of active hostilities. Period of the field: February 19, 2025. Sample size: 1000 respondents.