Zelenskyy Rebuts Trump's False Approval Rating Claim

Ukraine understands that U.S. President Donald Trump's false claim that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a 4% approval rating comes from Russia, Zelenskyy said during a press conference on Feb. 19, Orda reports, citing The Kyiv Independent.

We saw this disinformation. We understand it comes from Russia. We understand, and we have evidence that those figures have been discussed between the U.S. and Russia, Zelenskuy said.

Trump made the unsubstantiated claim on Feb. 18, presenting it as an argument that Ukraine should hold elections soon. 

Trump also laid the blame for the war on Kyiv.

The Kremlin has pushed the narrative that Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader.

The claim stems from the premise that his first presidential term was initially meant to end on May 20, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian constitution prohibits elections during martial law in effect since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Reiterating his respect for Trump and the American people, Zelenskyy said that the U.S. president "sadly lives in this disinformation space."

He also pointed to the latest survey that put the president's approval rating at 57%, adding that efforts to replace him now would be unsuccessful.

At the same time, Bloomberg reports that the U.S. has pledged to maintain sanctions until a peace deal is reached.