Nearly three-quarters reject a softer line toward Russia Ukrainians are increasingly rallying behind President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with public trust in him rising to 57% as US President Donald Trump presses Kyiv for concessions while easing pressure on Moscow, according to a new survey. The survey, released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on Tuesday, found that trust in Zelenskyy climbed from 43% among respondents interviewed earlier in the polling period to 57% among those surveyed after Washington stepped up pressure on Kyiv. The increase came after Trump announced a diesel arrangement with Russia and urged Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv has targeted in an effort to undermine Moscow’s ability to finance its full-scale invasion. KIIS said the shift may reflect a “rally-around-the-flag” effect, in which people become more supportive of their country’s leadership when faced with external pressure. The institute cautioned, however, that methodological factors could partly explain the 14-percentage-point increase and that it was too early to determine whether the rise in trust would last. Ukrainians resist concessions to Russia The survey also found that 73% of respondents opposed calls for the Ukrainian government to take a more accommodating approach in negotiations with Russia, compared with 20% who supported such a move. Across the entire polling period, from October 8 to 16, trust in Zelenskyy averaged 54%, with 41% expressing distrust. Trump eases up on Moscow The findings come amid renewed tensions between Washington and Kyiv, as Trump has increasingly criticized Zelenskyy while taking a more conciliatory approach toward Moscow. Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month to import Russian diesel and later signed an executive order waiving new sanctions and tariffs targeting Moscow under legislation passed by Congress. Downplaying Putin’s bloodshed On Monday, Trump suggested that Zelenskyy should hand responsibility for peace negotiations to someone else while also playing down Russia's military actions in Ukraine. “They [Russia] haven't been doing much,” he said. Trump has also signaled his willingness to meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month, following reports that the Russian leader had proposed a three-way summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering. The proposed talks could include discussions about ending the war in Ukraine without Zelenskyy’s participation, although Trump said such a meeting would focus more on weapons and denuclearization than on Ukraine, and no meeting has been finalized. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that any summit on Ukraine without Kyiv’s participation would only “encourage Putin to continue this war.”
Trust in Volodymyr Zelenskyy climbed from 43% to 57% after Washington stepped up pressure on Ukraine, a survey shows. (Getty Images)
