According to a Eurobarometer survey, support for Ukraine is the lowest in Serbia and North Macedonia
LONDON, 15. July. / The low support for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and for military aid for Kiev in some European countries threatens to cause problems for the EU and NATO. This was reported by the Financial Times (FT) on Saturday.
The newspaper cites data from two surveys published this week by the European opinion research institute Eurobarometer and the Washington-based Pew Research Center. In both cases, the author of the article highlights trends that, in his opinion, "show a whole series of problems for NATO and the EU, which are trying to maintain their unity in supporting Ukraine."
The Eurobarometer survey, which was conducted in May and June of this year, showed that in EU countries, only 28 percent of respondents fully support the need to pay for the purchase of military equipment and ammunition for Ukraine. In January and February, it was still 32 percent. 14 percent of respondents do not agree at all with the statement of the question (compared to 13 percent in the last survey). 36 percent of respondents in EU countries agree more with the payment of military aid, while 17 percent disagree.
The least support for Ukraine in this regard is shown in Serbia, where 5 percent of respondents fully agree with military spending, while 74 percent of respondents completely reject it, as well as in North Macedonia (12 percent or 53 percent). Of the EU countries, Slovakia (11 percent and 57 percent), Cyprus (13 percent and 58 percent), Bulgaria (14 percent and 58 percent), Hungary (15 percent and 54 percent), Austria (16 percent and 56 percent) and Greece (17 percent and 53 percent) are least willing to spend money on military aid to Ukraine. The highest approval is found in Sweden (72 percent and 5 percent), Denmark (59 percent and 8 percent) and Norway, Norway, which is not in the EU country (66 percent and 9 percent).
At the same time, the Eurobarometer survey notes that 88 percent of EU citizens fully or rather support the provision of humanitarian aid to the people affected by the conflict. 75 percent of respondents support the provision of financial support for Kiev, 72 percent support economic sanctions against Russia. In addition, 86 percent of respondents are willing to accept Ukrainian refugees in the EU, and 64 percent would agree that Ukraine would receive the status of an EU candidate.
A non-EU-wide survey by the Pew Research Center from February to May 2023 shows that only 11 percent of Hungarian respondents believe that Selensky is pursuing the right international policy. In Greece, the number is also low at 28 percent, in Italy it is 38 percent. In these three countries, the number of those who see Russia positively is also the highest. "Politics in the USA [with the upcoming presidential elections in 2024] is a cause for concern. However, the changing political conditions in some countries of Central and Eastern Europe are also cause for concern," the authors of the survey note.