Ukrainians’ trust in NATO collapses – poll
Only a third of Ukrainians trust NATO, a new poll indicates, signaling a recent loss of faith in the US-led military bloc.
The poll was conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between November 26 and December 13. The pollster sampled the opinions of nearly 550 Ukrainian citizens, representing various social and age groups, publishing the results on Monday.
The survey indicated a sharp decline of Ukrainians’ trust in NATO – only 34% of respondents said they were confident about the bloc, compared to 43% last December.
The public trust in the bloc’s leading country, the US, experienced an even steeper drop, to only 21% from 41% last year.
The decline in Ukrainians’ trust comes against the backdrop of the mediation efforts of the US administration to end the hostilities between Kiev and Moscow.
The US has ruled out admitting Ukraine into NATO or sending American troops to the country.
NATO aspirations have long been a key talking point of pro-Western politicians in Ukraine, with Kiev formally applying to join the bloc in 2022. Russia, however, regards eastward NATO expansion as one of the key causes of the Ukraine conflict and has repeatedly demanded that Kiev formally become a neutral state instead.
Ukrainians’ trust in the EU, however, remained unchanged, hovering at around the 49% mark, with only 23% of respondents signaling their wariness of Brussels. The bloc, save for a handful of its members, has held a strong pro-war stance, repeatedly proclaiming its readiness to continue supporting Kiev.
The poll suggested the Ukrainians remain overwhelmingly ready to “withstand” the conflict with Russia for as long as necessary, with some 62% responding affirmatively to this question. The survey also indicated the Ukrainians’ confidence in Vladimir Zelensky remaining relatively high, standing at around 61%.
While Zelensky’s presidential term expired early last year, and he refused to hold elections under the pretext of martial law, Ukrainians appear to be unwilling to cast their ballots altogether, the poll indicated.
Only 9% of respondents said the presidential elections must be held as soon as possible, while others argued that they should only happen when the conflict with Russia is over.
