Zelensky rating slumps poll
Public trust in Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has dropped by 7% in about a month, according to a nationwide poll released on Wednesday. The apparent slump in popularity came after his controversial botched crackdown on the country's key anti-corruption agencies.
The survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), conducted from July 23 to August 4, suggests that trust in Zelensky stands at 58%, down from 65% in June. The poll says 35% of Ukrainians now say they do not trust Zelensky - an increase from 30% in early June.
The drop in support was especially steep among respondents under 30, where trust fell by 15% - from 74% at the start of summer to 59% by early August, according to the poll.
The KIIS partially attributed the decline to Zelensky's attempt to strip the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) of independence, citing Russian influence.
Critics of the move accused Zelensky of having authoritarian tendencies, sparking protests at home and discontent in the West, given that many supporters of Kiev have for years demanded that it intensify the fight against corruption. Following the backlash, Zelensky was forced to roll back the reforms.
KIIS stressed that although the controversy undoubtedly damaged Zelensky's image, other factors are at play. Of those who distrust him, only 6% cited the controversy as the reason, compared to 21% who pointed to overall corruption and 20% who say Zelensky is an inefficient leader during a time of conflict.
The KIIS poll was based on phone interviews with 1,022 respondents across Ukraine.
Last month, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) stated that US and UK officials had secretly met with their key Ukrainian counterparts to discuss ousting Zelensky and replacing him with former military chief Valery Zaluzhny.
According to the SVR, the recent NABU and SAPO controversy was in large part engineered by Zelensky's own officials to provide justification for the Western partners to seek his removal.
(RT.com)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
43 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump's sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries take effect; Myanmar and Laos among the worst hit at 40%
People walk past fresh produce at a street market in Yangon on August 4, 2025. Myanmar was hit with a 40% tariff on imports by the United States. - Photo: Sai Aung MAIN / AFP WASHINGTON (dpa): US President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports from around 70 countries and the European Union went into force on Thursday, including a whopping 50% on Brazilian imports, 39% on Switzerland and 35% on Canada. In a Truth Social post shortly before they went into effect, Trump wrote: "BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, LARGELY FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS, LAUGHING ALL THE WAY, WILL START FLOWING INTO THE USA." Trump has defended his aggressive trade stance by citing persistent deficits, which he claims pose a national security threat. Framing the issue as an emergency, he argues the tariffs will shield US businesses and revive domestic manufacturing. The measures are now being challenged in US courts. Since the start of his second term, Trump has targeted virtually every country with the threat of higher duties, including close allies. The tariffs have often been revised, delayed or scrapped altogether, and used as leverage to push countries into striking bilateral deals with Washington. Also among the slew of countries worst hit are South Africa (30%), Laos and Myanmar (40%), and war-ravaged Syria (41%). The European Union's 27 member states must now pay a 15% levy, down from the 30% Trump initially threatened following a last-minute deal with the European Commission. Critics of the deal said the commission had settled for a compromise that, while less severe than initially threatened, still clearly favours the US. In addition to the 15%, the EU promised Trump that it would buy US energy worth $750 billion by the end of his term. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US liquefied natural gas, oil, and nuclear fuels will fill the gaps left by the complete phase-out of Russian gas and oil. The commission also announced that $600 billion in European investment is expected to flow into the US, citing private-sector interest. But officials clarified these are not government commitments, and no company names or figures were disclosed. Other countries, including Britain and Japan, recently reached separate trade agreements with the US to avoid steeper penalties. Attention now turns to Washington and Beijing, as the world's two largest economies near the expiration of their 90-day tariff truce next Tuesday. Both sides have threatened to slap import duties of over 100% on each other if talks collapse. India, already hit with a 25% levy on Thursday, is bracing for that rate to double by month's end.
The Sun
43 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump tariffs on buyers of Russian oil raise global risks
WASHINGTON: From punishing Brazil to trying to curb imports of fentanyl, US President Donald Trump has wielded the threat of tariffs as an all-purpose foreign policy weapon. With a Friday deadline for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or have its oil customers face secondary tariffs, Trump has found a novel, but risky, use for his favourite trade tool. The administration took a step towards punishing Moscow's customers on Wed-nesday, imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from India over its imports of Russian oil, marking the first financial penalty aimed at Russia in Trump's second term. No order has been signed for China, the top Russian oil importer, but a White House official said on Wednesday, secondary measures that Trump has threatened against countries buying the petroleum were expected on Friday. These are the latest in a string of Trump's tariff threats on non-trade issues such as pressing Denmark to give the US control of Greenland, attempting to stop fentanyl deliveries from Mexico and Canada, and penalising Brazil over what he described as a 'witch hunt' against former President Jair Bolsonaro. While secondary tariffs could inflict pain on the Russian economy – severing a top source of funding for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort – they also carry costs for Trump. Oil prices will likely rise, creating political problems for him before next year's US midterm congressional elections. The tariffs would also complicate the administration's efforts to secure trade deals with China and India. For his part, Putin has signalled that Russia is prepared to weather any new economic hardship imposed by the US and its allies. There is 'close to zero chance' Putin will agree to a ceasefire due to Trump's threats of tariffs and sanctions on Russia, said Eugene Rumer, a former US intelligence analyst for Russia who directs the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Russia and Eurasia Programme. 'Theoretically if you cut off Indian and Chinese purchases of oil that would be a very heavy blow to the Russian economy and to the war effort. But that isn't going to happen,' he said, adding that the Chinese have signaled they will keep buying Russia's oil. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond. Secondary tariffs would hurt Russia, the world's second leading oil exporter. The West has pressured Russia since late 2022 with a price cap on its oil exports, intended to erode Russia's ability to fund the war. That cap has piled costs on Russia as it forced it to reroute oil exports from Europe to India and China, which have been able to import huge amounts of it at discounted prices. But the cap also kept oil flowing to global markets. In an early sign that Putin hopes to avoid the tariffs, the White House said that Putin and Trump could meet as soon as next week, following a meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian leader on Wednesday. But some analysts are skeptical that Moscow is ready to stop the war. Brett Bruen, former foreign policy adviser for former president Barack Obama now head of the Global Situation Room consultancy, cautioned that Putin has found ways to evade sanctions and other economic penalties. And even if tariffs and sanctions cut into Russia's revenues, Putin is not under much domestic pressure. Secondary tariffs, Bruen said, could start to cause some economic pain. 'But the question is whether that really changes Putin's behaviour.' The tariffs could also create new problems for the Trump administration as it pursues sweeping trade deals, especially with India and China. Kimberly Donovan, a former US Treasury official, said the tariffs could hamper the US bilateral and trade relationships with India and China. 'You've got two major oil importers that can kind of dig in their heels and push back, knowing what the US needs out of them,' said Donovan, now director of the Economic Statecraft Initiative in the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Centre. China has demonstrated leverage over the US by cutting off mineral exports and new tariffs would upset a delicate balance negotiated since May to restart those flows critical to a host of US industries. India has leverage over generic pharmaceutical exports and precursor chemicals to the US. Both countries say that oil purchases are a sovereign matter and contend that they are playing by the previous rules, namely the price cap on Russian crude. Secondary tariffs would raise the cost of imports into the US of products from Russia's customers, giving them an incentive to buy their oil elsewhere. Squeezing the shipments risks spiking fuel prices and inflation around the world that could pose political difficulties for Trump. The month after Moscow's February 2022 invasion, fears of disruptions from Russia pushed international crude prices close to US$130 per barrel, not far from their all-time high of US$147. If India were to stop buying 1.7 million barrels per day of Russian crude, about 2% of global supply, world prices would jump from the current US$66, analysts said. JP Morgan analysts said this month it was 'impossible' to sanction Russian oil without triggering a price jump. Any perceived disruptions to Russian shipments could propel Brent oil prices into the US$80s or higher. Despite Trump's statements that US producers would step in, it would be unable to quickly ramp up, they said. Russia could retaliate, including closing the CPC Pipeline from Kazakhstan, which could create a global supply crisis. Western oil firms Exxon, Chevron, Shell , ENI and TotalEnergies ship up to 1 million barrels per day via CPC, which has total capacity of 1.7 million bpd. Cullen Hendrix, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said energy shocks are never welcome, especially not amidst a softening housing market and weak job growth. A key question is whether Trump can frame any economic pain as necessary to force Russia to negotiate. – Reuters
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
King Arrives In Kazan For Second Segment Of State Visit To Russia
GENERAL From Noor Farhana Ahmad Norain KAZAN, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, arrived in Kazan today for the second segment of his state visit to Russia. The special plane carrying Sultan Ibrahim touched down at the Kazan International Airport at 10.15 am. Present to welcome His Majesty was the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov. Tartastan Deputy Prime Minister and Industry and Trade Minister Oleg Korobchenko and Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Nail Latypov were in attendance. In a traditional welcoming gesture, three girls in Tatar national costume presented His Majesty with bread and chak-chak – a traditional Tatar dessert. Earlier today, Sultan Ibrahim was accorded a ceremonial sending-off ceremony at the Vnukovo-2 Airport in Moscow. This afternoon, the King is expected to receive an audience from Minnikhanov at the Kazan Kremlin Presidential Palace. Sultan Ibrahim is in Russia for a state visit at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.
