An opinion poll showed Ukrainians' approval of President Volodymyr Zelensky has risen by 10 percentage points after US President Donald Trump called him a "dictator".

The survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found that 67% of Ukrainians polled said they trusted Zelensky - up from 57% a month earlier.

The latest poll was conducted between February 14 and March 4, a tumultuous period for Zelensky in which a simmering war of words with Trump culminated in a dramatic clash at the White House on February 28.

The results show that the effect of US criticism of his leadership has been to consolidate support for the president, the researchers cited by AFP said.

"At least for now, we are witnessing a process of public unification amid the new challenges facing Ukraine," said the institute's executive director Anton Grushetsky.

He suggested that Ukrainians perceive the Trump team's rhetoric not only as a personal attack on Zelensky, but also as "an attack on all of Ukraine and all Ukrainians."

The results are "quite similar" across the country, pollsters say, although confidence is slightly lower among residents of the eastern part of the country - 60%.

Across the country, 29% of respondents said they did not trust him.

According to the previous KMIS poll, published on 19 February, 57% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky, while 37% did not.

On February 18, Trump suggested that Zelensky had only a "four percent approval rating" and called for presidential elections in the country, which are prohibited under martial law.

A day later, he branded Zelensky a "dictator," and the Ukrainian leader pointed out that his American counterpart lives in Russia's "disinformation space."

Then, on February 28, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance threatened Zelensky in the Oval Office and told him to leave without signing a deal on rare minerals.

On March 3, Trump continued to act against Ukraine, suspending military aid and prompting Zelensky to call for a ceasefire and announce that Ukraine was ready to sign the minerals deal.

The researchers behind the poll said the cancellation of military aid - announced as the poll was nearly complete - was not fully reflected in the results and "will certainly affect the public mood." | BGNES