Most Europeans support Ukraine in its war against Russia, but only one in ten (10%) think Ukraine can win, twice as many expect Russia to win, according to a poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), with the majority – 40% – believing a “compromise solution” is needed to end the conflict, on Wednesday, the 21st of February, reports Politico.
This weak confidence in Ukraine’s chances of victory is evident across Europe, with Poland, Portugal and Sweden being the most optimistic countries.
The responses came from 17 023 respondents
who took part in an online survey in January across 12 European Union (EU) countries – Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Sweden.
The pessimistic outlook is largely due to the political situation in the US, where the new aid package for Ukraine is stalled in Congress and ex-President Donald Trump is trying to get back in with pledges to cut off Ukraine aid, the researchers say.
With growing concerns about a second Trump presidency, ECFR reports that 41% of Europeans want to increase or maintain current support for Ukraine, but only a fifth want Europe to compensate in case US support is cut. A third of respondents want the EU to limit its support.
Despite the gloomy results,
most respondents still believe that aid to Ukraine should continue.
On average, 19.5% of respondents believe Russia will win. But in Hungary (64%), Greece (59%) and Italy (52%), majorities want the allies to force Kyiv to accept the settlement agreement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to consider.
The EU and its leaders have made clear their intention to continue to support Kyiv, but military deliveries have slowed and there is uncertainty about the next military aid package from Brussels.
Survey co-author Mark Leonard stressed that EU leaders need to change their rhetoric on the war to maintain European support for Ukraine. The poll shows that while most Europeans want to prevent a Russian victory, they doubt Ukraine’s ability to regain all its territory.
Leonard stressed that the most convincing argument for a sceptical public is that military support for Ukraine could lead to a lasting negotiated peace in favour of Kyiv, not Putin.
Also read: EU approves new sanctions against Russia
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