NEWSWEEK Zelensky Gets Double-Digit Boost in Ukraine After Clash with Donald Trump Published Mar 07, 2025 at 3:29 PM EST By Andrew Stanton Weekend Staff Writer

 NEWSWEEK

Zelensky Gets Double-Digit Boost in Ukraine After Clash with Donald Trump

Published Mar 07, 2025 at 3:29 PM EST

By Andrew Stanton

Weekend Staff Writer

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recieved a double-digit polling boost back at home after his clash with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last week, according to a new survey.

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, on February 24, 2022. While the U.S. has been a close ally, delivering Kyiv billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid, President Donald Trump's administration has shifted Washington's policy on the conflict, arguing that Ukraine should be prepared to make concessions to bring an end to the conflict.

Growing tensions between Trump and Zelensky came to a head when they met in the Oval Office last Friday to discuss a rare minerals deal. The meeting spiraled into shouting, and Zelensky left without a deal. Since then, Trump has halted aid to Ukraine that has been critical to its efforts to combat the Russian invasion.

What to Know

Zelensky's approval among Ukrainians grew following the dispute, according to a new poll from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), which surveyed 1,029 Ukrainians from February 14 to March 4, 2025.

Volodymyr Zelensky approval poll

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media in Brussels, Belgium on March 6, 2025. Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

It found that 67 percent of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, compared to only 29 percent who do not. This marks a double-digit shift from a poll conducted at the beginning of February, which showed 57 percent of Ukrainians trusting Zelensky and 37 percent who do not.

The report also showed that respondents after the spat were more likely to say they trust Zelensky. Among those who responded to the poll from March 1 to March 4, 2025, 68 percent said they trust Zelensky, and 28 percent said they do not.

This marks his strongest poll from KIIS since December 2023, when 77 percent of Ukrainians said they trusted their president.