The US president said at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida: "We have a situation where we haven't had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law, essentially martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down to 4% approval rating.".
In a speech after senior US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Mr Trump said Mr Zelenskyy has a 4% approval rating among voters in Ukraine.
The US president's remarks, which include accusing Ukraine of starting the war, have been widely disputed - with Mr Zelenskyy himself saying Mr Trump is living in a "disinformation bubble".
Five days before Russian troops rolled into Ukraine in 2022, and with Russian troops amassing at the borders, Mr Zelenskyy said in remarks directed at Moscow: "We are ready to sit down and speak... What's the point of us shooting and proposing diplomacy at the same time?".
The world's richest man Elon Musk, who has been chosen by Mr Trump to head the new US Department of Government Efficiency, also suggested Mr Zelenskyy has a poor approval rating.
