The latest public opinion survey in Ukraine conducted by the International Republican Institute shows that confidence in winning the war against Russia and approval for President Zelensky remain very strong. Most Ukrainians do not believe in conceding any territory and support for NATO membership has spiked.
98% of Ukrainians believed Ukraine will definitely or likely win the war against Russia, up from 97% in April, while roughly 1% did not think Ukraine would win and 1% didn’t answer. East Ukraine is the least optimistic, but even there, 94% think Ukraine will win.
80% of Ukrainians want the country to join the EU, and only 1% – the Russian-driven Customs Union. Support for EU membership is high in all regions, with 76% being for it even the traditionally pro-Russian east.
Support for NATO membership has spiked, with 72% approving, compared to 59% in April. A strong majority supports joining NATO even in the traditionally pro-Russian east and south, 58% and 66% respectively.
The poll also found that confidence in the Ukrainian army and authorities remains high, although it did drop compared to April and the share of those who “strongly approved” dropped, with more now “somewhat approving.”
As well, the poll revealed that 64% of Ukrainians are sure Ukraine will regain all territories currently occupied by Russia, including Crimea and Donbas. This is up from 53% in April.
Another finding was that all the concessions Russia demands are rejected by Ukrainians. The number of those who find rejecting NATO membership acceptable is down to 29%, from 37% in April. 40% oppose all listed concessions, such as designating Russian as a state language and conceding occupied Crimea or Russia’s proxy states in occupied Donbas.
