Zelensky would lose if elections were held now
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky would lose to his former Commander-in-Chief, Valery Zaluzhny, by a large margin if presidential elections were held in Ukraine today, the Economist has reported, citing 'internal polling.'
Zelensky's five-year presidential term expired in May of 2024, and he has refused to hold elections since, citing martial law. Speaking late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Zelensky no longer has the legitimacy required to sign any official agreement.
In an article on Wednesday, the Economist writes that 'many Ukrainians are clearly frustrated with their war leader.' According to data cited in the report, Zelensky 'would lose a future election by 30% to 65% to Valery Zaluzhny,' should the former commander run for office. Zaluzhny currently serves as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK.
The Economist further claimed that, in sharp contrast to the 90% popularity he supposedly enjoyed during the early days of the conflict in 2022, Zelensky's ratings hit a low of 52% last month.
On Thursday, Ukraine's Strana.UA media outlet cited a recent survey conducted by the Socis polling company indicating that only 15.9% would vote for Zelensky, with Zaluzhny enjoying the support of 27.2% of respondents.
The question of Zelensky's popularity at home was raised by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, when he told reporters that the 'leader in Ukraine… he's down at a 4% approval rating.' He also pointed out that calls for the Ukrainian leadership to hold elections are 'not a Russia thing,' but rather 'something coming from me, and coming from many other countries also.'
Responding to the US president's claim, Zelensky suggested on Wednesday that Trump had fallen for 'Russian disinformation.' The politician also cited a January poll from the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KMIS) that indicated 57% of Ukrainians trusted him.
The Ukrainian leader's remarks apparently did not sit well with Trump, who blasted Zelensky in a post on his Truth Social platform later that day as a 'dictator without election.' The US head of state reiterated his allegation that the politician 'is very low in Ukrainian Polls,' concluding that 'Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.'
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last Saturday, the Ukrainian leader claimed he was 'ready to talk about elections, [but] Ukrainians don't want this.' He suggested that holding a vote amid the ongoing conflict with Moscow would undermine national unity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russia launches ‘massive' strike on Ukrainian defense industry
Russian forces carried out a large-scale overnight strike on Ukrainian industrial facilities involving long-range weapons and drones, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Sunday. The Ukrainian authorities and media confirmed the attack, with some suggesting it was one of the largest since the escalation of the conflict in 2022. In a statement reporting the operation, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had 'conducted a massive strike, involving high-precision long-range air-, sea- and land-based weapons, including the aeroballistic hypersonic Kinzhal missile system, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, targeting Ukraine's military-industrial and oil-processing facilities.' The ministry didn't provide any further details, but stated that the 'strike goals were achieved. All designated targets were hit.' Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the attack in a post on Telegram, claiming that it involved 477 Russian explosives-laden drones and 60 missiles of various types. He used the occasion to once again call on Kiev's Western backers to provide it with more air defense systems. Zelensky also revealed that Kiev lost a Western-supplied F-16 fighter jet while attempting to fend off the attack. The pilot perished in the incident. Meanwhile, in a post on X, Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuglaya accused the country's military leadership of 'murdering' fighter pilots by allegedly failing to develop effective anti-drone protocols. According to the Ukrainian military's tally, more than 20 incoming rockets and 40 UAVs made it through the country's air defenses during the strike. In a post on Facebook, Stepan Kulinyak, the head of the military administration in the city of Drohobych in Lviv Region in Western Ukraine, said that 'as a result of the air attack, a fire broke out at an industrial infrastructure facility.' Officials in the region stated that the strikes did not cause any casualties but that critical infrastructure was hit. In Poltava Region, an industrial site in the city of Kremenchuk reportedly came under attack. While Ukrainian officials have not provided any details about the type of facilities hit and the extent of the damage inflicted, some local media outlets have pointed out that there are oil-processing plants in both Drohobych and Kremenchuk, and that they were likely the targets of the strikes. Social media users have been posting videos purportedly depicting the Russian strikes and their aftermath in several Ukrainian regions.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky is ‘politically dead' – Russia's top UN diplomat
Ukraine's 'expired' leader Vladimir Zelensky is 'politically dead' and refuses to step down to avoid accountability for his actions, Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia has told RT's Rick Sanchez. In an interview on Sanchez Effect aired on Friday, Nebenzia accused Zelensky of betraying the promises that brought him to power and dragging Ukraine into a wider conflict. He referenced Zelensky's campaign pledge to end the fighting in Donbass, which the Kiev regime and its Western backers derailed by violating the 2014-15 Minsk agreements. 'Zelensky came to power on the promise to end the war in Donbass... He promised one thing, but he turned 180 degrees… Politically, Zelensky is already dead,' Nebenzia stated. Nebenzia said Zelensky is holding on to power to avoid the consequences of prolonging the conflict with Russia and misusing Western funds provided as aid. 'The end of his presidency may entail something for him that he is trying to avoid at all costs: Reporting on the money stolen and the loss of the people whom he failed miserably,' Nebenzia stated. 'So he has all the reasons... to cling to power and not to hold elections.' Ukrainians are our brothers, no doubt about it. But the clique that came to rule them – it is a regime, it is not a government. 'They stole billions of dollars out of the aid they were receiving. That's an open secret,' he said, adding that Kiev has already been asked to report on the aid but has failed to do so. 'I think that when finally it comes to it, the revelations will be very dire.' Zelensky has remained in office since his term expired in May, suspending elections due to martial law. He insists that he has the right to remain in office, though the constitution stipulates that presidential duties should pass to the parliament speaker. Russia has said it is open to talks with Ukraine but questions the legality of any deals made with the current government in Kiev. President Vladimir Putin recently said he would meet with Zelensky but called into question his authority to sign a treaty, as 'the signature must come from legitimate authorities, otherwise, whoever comes after [Zelensky] will toss it to the dumpster.'
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
UK starting to turn away Ukrainians
The UK has begun turning down asylum claims from Ukrainians, asserting that applicants can safely relocate to other parts of Ukraine, the Guardian has reported. A London-based legal firm told the newspaper on Friday that it receives weekly inquiries from Ukrainians whose refusal letters commonly state that they do not meet the threshold for persecution under the Refugee Convention, as applicants are deemed able to relocate to safer parts of Ukraine. The letters also cite the availability of public services in Ukraine and suggest that seeking help from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and local organizations. The firm noted that the growing number of refusals was linked to updates made in January to the UK Home Office's guidance, which now identifies regions such as Kiev and western Ukraine as 'generally safe.' Refugee status in the UK grants recipients five years of residency with access to work, benefits, healthcare, housing support, and family reunification. The UK also offers temporary visas through the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family schemes, allowing stays of up to 18 months. As of March 2025, over 270,000 visas had been issued. A Home Office spokesperson told the Guardian that the UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. The ministry emphasized that asylum claims are assessed individually and noted that the Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open. Several million Ukrainians have fled their country over the past three years. According to Eurostat data, around 4.3 million had been granted temporary protection in the EU as of March 2025. Russia, meanwhile, reported that 5.5 million people had arrived from Ukraine by the end of 2023. The outflow has been driven not only by the ongoing conflict but also by increasingly aggressive mobilization tactics used by the Ukrainian military. These efforts have led to violent confrontations between draft officers and those resisting conscription, with male Ukrainians risking criminal prosecution for fleeing the country. London has committed billions in military assistance to Ukraine since 2022. Moscow has repeatedly accused the UK and its Western allies of using Ukraine as a 'battering ram' against Russia and of pursuing the conflict 'until the last Ukrainian.'
