As of mid-February 2025, 57% of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from February 4-9.
The poll found that 37% of respondents do not trust Zelensky, resulting in a trust-distrust balance of +20%.
KIIS noted that trust in the president has slightly improved compared to the last survey in December 2024, when 52% of respondents expressed trust, 39% did not, and the trust-distrust balance was +13%.
The survey also found similar trust levels across all regions of Ukraine, with a consistently positive trust-distrust balance.
KIIS said that Ukraine is facing serious challenges, particularly in view of the international situation and in its partnerships with allies. Discussions surrounding the president’s “legitimacy” have emerged in the media, with suggestions that elections could be part of potential “peace plans” — proposals that involve holding elections first and then negotiating settlement terms. However, the majority of Ukrainians continue to believe that elections should be held only after the war, with strengthening defense capabilities remaining the priority.
The survey was conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) using a random sample of mobile numbers. It included 1,000 respondents aged 18 and older who were residing in government-controlled territories of Ukraine at the time of the survey.
Under normal circumstances, the margin of error for such a sample (with a 95% confidence level and a design effect of 1.3) does not exceed 4.1% for figures close to 50%, 3.5% for figures close to 25%, 2.5% for figures near 10%, and 1.8% for figures around 5%.
However, due to wartime conditions, some systematic bias may be present. Nevertheless, KIIS believes the results remain highly representative and provide a reliable assessment of public sentiment.
On February 18, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his call for elections in Ukraine.
“We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine, where we have essentially martial law in Ukraine,” Trump said when asked to comment on Russia’s demand that it would sign a peace deal only after elections in Ukraine.
Trump also claimed that President Zelensky’s approval rating had fallen to 4% and that Ukraine “has been blown to smithereens.”
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
