Poles stand for long-term support of Ukraine, Germans divided

The majority of Polish citizens (82%) are in favor of long-term political and military support for Ukraine by NATO and EU member states in light of Russian armed aggression, while such support among Germans stands at only 42%.

That’s according to a survey run by Ipsos in Poland and Germany on December 16-21 for OKO.press and TOK.FM, Ukrinform reports.

The authors of the study simultaneously asked the citizens of Poland and Germany two questions and the respondents had to choose between several answers. The following questions were put forward:

Should the NATO and EU countries strive to support Ukraine politically and militarily so that it wins the war with Russia even if it were to last several years?

Should the NATO and EU countries seek to conclude a peace agreement with Russia even if Ukraine were to lose part of its territory?

In Poland, 82% of respondents chose the option of supporting Ukraine until it wins, while only 12% chose the option of seeking to conclude an agreement with Russia despite Ukraine ceding some lands. At the same time, supporters of most of the political forces in Poland – both in the left and right spectrums – advocate support for Ukraine. The only exception is the voters of the nationalist Confederation, 54% of which support Ukraine, and 37% are in favor of striking a deal with Russia.

A different situation is observed in Germany, where those supporting Ukraine’s struggle and opting for a deal with Russia are divided roughly in half. In particular, 42% of respondents spoke in favor of long-term assistance to Ukraine, and 39% -- for reaching an agreement with Russia. The largest number of Ukraine aid supporters is among the followers of left-wing and center-left parties (54-57%), and the smallest – among the right-wing and center-right parties (20-37%). The opinion prevails among German conservatives on the need to seek a compromise with Russia, even despite the loss of some territories by Ukraine. Some 49-68% of voters of right-wing and center-right parties support such a move.

Regional differences in support for Ukraine are also observed in Germany. In particular, in western Germany, more citizens are ready to support Ukraine in the long term (46%) than in the eastern part of the country (30%). In the federal lands that were part of the former GDR, 54% support compromise with the Russian Federation at the cost of Ukraine, while in the western part, 33% support the option.

The highest share of support for Ukraine is expressed by highly educated respondents. Only 29% of those polled with basic education are ready to support Ukraine, while the share among individuals with higher education stands at 47%.