Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and United States President Donald Trump have an ever-widening rift. They are now trading vocal jabs with Zelensky, accusing Trump of spreading Russian disinformation.

During a press conference after a high-level meeting between American and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, Trump suggested that Zelensky’s approval rating in Ukraine is 4%. This upset Zelensky, who replied that the U.S. ruler was only restating Russian disinformation.

Trump claimed that Ukrainians are frustrated at the absence of elections in the country due to Zelensky’s declaration of martial law. “I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval.”

Zelensky’s presidential term expired last year, and, according to a report by RT, he has not transferred authority to the parliament speaker, as mandated by the Ukrainian Constitution. 

Zelensky has argued that holding an election under the current circumstances is both legally and technically infeasible, and that Ukrainians would oppose it amid the conflict with Russia. He also claimed that if an election were held, he would secure a second term. Recent opinion polls, however, suggest that he would lose to retired General Valery Zaluzhny in a runoff. –RT

The Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KMIS) (run by Ukraine’s ruling class) said on Wednesday that in a survey conducted in January, 57% of Ukrainians expressed trust in Zelensky, an increase from 54% the previous month.

Zelensky noted that Ukrainian officials “are aware of this disinformation and recognize that it is coming from Russia” without providing specific sources. He stressed that “if anyone wants to replace me right now, it’s not going to happen.”

The U.S. had pulled much of the funding from Ukraine for its war efforts, which will hopefully lead to the end of the conflict.

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