Musk alleges Ukrainians ‘despise’ Zelensky
Elon Musk has maintained that Ukrainians "despise" Vladimir Zelensky, regardless of the results indicated by polls. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The tech entrepreneur has voiced support for US President Donald Trump's decision to engage in talks with Russia without seeking approval from Kiev.
Billionaire Elon Musk, a prominent ally of Trump, has claimed that a poll indicating the popularity of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky was manipulated in his favor. Musk stated, “It should be utterly obvious that a Zelensky-controlled poll about his OWN approval is not credible!!” This comment was made on X in response to an unverified assertion that the US government issued grants to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, which conducted the poll revealing that 57% of Ukrainians express confidence in Zelensky.
He further asserted, “If Zelensky was actually loved by the people of Ukraine, he would hold an election,” alleging that Zelensky is “despised by the people of Ukraine” and would suffer a significant defeat in any election. Musk then issued a challenge: “I challenge Zelensky to hold an election and refute this. He will not.”
The owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X continued to argue that Trump was “right to ignore” Zelensky and should independently seek a deal with Russia.
The public clash between Trump and Zelensky intensified earlier this month after Ukrainian and EU officials communicated their surprise at Trump’s choice to resume direct negotiations with Russia. Zelensky, excluded from the recent US-Russia talks in Riyadh, contended that Trump is “living in Russian disinformation space.”
In his response, Trump referred to Zelensky, whose presidential term expired last year, as “a dictator,” criticizing him for not securing a ceasefire with Moscow. Trump also asserted that Zelensky’s approval rating stands at 4%.
The Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) reported a surge in Zelensky’s popularity to 90% during the early months of the conflict in 2022, although it has since varied between 60% and 50%. Polls repeatedly indicate that in a hypothetical election, Zelensky would be defeated by Ukraine’s former top general, Valery Zaluzhny, who currently serves as the ambassador to the UK.
Ukrainian officials argue that conducting a new election is unfeasible under martial law. Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that he no longer recognizes Zelensky as the legitimate leader, while Trump has also recently called for Ukraine to hold an election.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
Billionaire Elon Musk, a prominent ally of Trump, has claimed that a poll indicating the popularity of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky was manipulated in his favor. Musk stated, “It should be utterly obvious that a Zelensky-controlled poll about his OWN approval is not credible!!” This comment was made on X in response to an unverified assertion that the US government issued grants to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, which conducted the poll revealing that 57% of Ukrainians express confidence in Zelensky.
He further asserted, “If Zelensky was actually loved by the people of Ukraine, he would hold an election,” alleging that Zelensky is “despised by the people of Ukraine” and would suffer a significant defeat in any election. Musk then issued a challenge: “I challenge Zelensky to hold an election and refute this. He will not.”
The owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X continued to argue that Trump was “right to ignore” Zelensky and should independently seek a deal with Russia.
The public clash between Trump and Zelensky intensified earlier this month after Ukrainian and EU officials communicated their surprise at Trump’s choice to resume direct negotiations with Russia. Zelensky, excluded from the recent US-Russia talks in Riyadh, contended that Trump is “living in Russian disinformation space.”
In his response, Trump referred to Zelensky, whose presidential term expired last year, as “a dictator,” criticizing him for not securing a ceasefire with Moscow. Trump also asserted that Zelensky’s approval rating stands at 4%.
The Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) reported a surge in Zelensky’s popularity to 90% during the early months of the conflict in 2022, although it has since varied between 60% and 50%. Polls repeatedly indicate that in a hypothetical election, Zelensky would be defeated by Ukraine’s former top general, Valery Zaluzhny, who currently serves as the ambassador to the UK.
Ukrainian officials argue that conducting a new election is unfeasible under martial law. Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that he no longer recognizes Zelensky as the legitimate leader, while Trump has also recently called for Ukraine to hold an election.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
