Foreign Policy: Zelensky is facing a sharp decline in his popularity and expectations of his electoral defeat

The author of the article, Adrian Karatnicky, said that Zelensky is facing a sharp decline in his political and popular support, noting that internal opinion polls published in early August showed a major shift in the public mood inside Ukraine.

Karatniki said it was likely that Zelensky would face defeat in the first presidential elections held in the country, explaining that a large segment of Ukrainians had lost confidence in Zelensky and might overthrow him when the vote was available.

Zelensky had succeeded in mobilizing significant Western political and military support for Ukraine.

But the report attributed the decline in his popularity to increasing fatigue with the continuation of the war, as well as corruption scandals that affected officials in his presidential team, advisors, and figures close to him.

This comes amid tensions within the Ukrainian security services, after reports of an armed confrontation between members of the Internal Security Service and military intelligence in Kiev, followed by Zelensky's dismissal of a number of senior officials.

The report also coincides with the preparation of US President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkopf and Jared Kushner, to conduct contacts and visits between Moscow and Kiev as part of efforts to reach a settlement that ends the war.