A new poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) shows that while 55% of Ukrainians still view the United States favorably overall, only 23% say the same about its leadership — with 66% expressing a negative opinion of the Trump administration.
The survey, conducted 12-24 February 2026, using computer-assisted telephone interviews with 2,004 respondents across Ukrainian government-controlled territory, draws a sharp line between how Ukrainians feel about American society and how they feel about its government.
"Ukrainians can criticize the actions of American authorities and be dissatisfied with certain decisions, but they retain a favorable attitude toward American society," KIIS analyst A. Hrushetskyy said in comments accompanying the results. "In democracies like the US and Ukraine, political leaders come and go. But our societies remain."
The gap between feelings toward ordinary Americans and the administration is striking. Some 83% of respondents said they view American residents positively — against just 9% negatively. For the administration, those numbers invert: 23% positive, 66% negative.
Compared to May 2025, attitudes toward ordinary Americans have slipped from 90% to 83%, while approval of the administration has barely moved — it stood at 24% positive in May, versus 23% now.
Overall attitudes toward the US as a country have also declined, from 63% favorable in May 2025 to 55% today, while the share viewing the US negatively rose from 29% to 36%, according to KIIS.
Regional variation is limited, with one exception: in eastern Ukraine, only 40% of respondents view the US as a whole favorably — 15 or more percentage points below other regions. The gap narrows when respondents are asked about ordinary Americans or the administration specifically.
KIIS also tracks Ukrainian attitudes toward Americans using the Bogardus social distance scale, a measure of how close a relationship respondents are willing to accept with members of a given group. The scale runs from 1 (willing to accept as a family member) to 7 (would not allow into Ukraine).
The score for Americans reached a historic low of 3.1 in September 2023 — the most favorable reading since the institute began the measurement in 1994 — reflecting the surge of goodwill following the start of large-scale US support after Russia's full-scale invasion. By September 2024 it had risen to 4.2, and stood at 4.1 as of September 2025.
"Although the trend toward improved attitudes was observed before the full-scale invasion, large-scale US support positively affected the perception of Americans," KIIS noted, adding that "despite the fact that D. Trump's actions often provoke criticism from the Ukrainian public, this indicator has not changed significantly during his presidency."
For context, the institute reports that Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians score 2.4 on the same scale — the most favorable reading — while Russians living in Russia score 6.5.
KIIS noted that the poll was conducted before the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran began. "Depending on how the operation ends, this may affect attitudes toward both the US as a whole and American leadership," the institute said, adding that attitudes toward ordinary Americans were expected to be less affected.
Hrushetskyy cautioned against reducing the complexity of US-Ukraine relations to a single factor: "The negative trend was present before D. Trump was elected president — it would be wrong to attribute all the difficulties of Ukrainian-American interaction solely to his personality, although his influence is undeniable."
He also pointed to areas of potential convergence: "The latest events in the Middle East demonstrate that Ukraine can offer relevant experience and technologies," he said, while stressing that the US "took on responsibility in the sphere of Ukrainian security under the Budapest Memorandum."
The findings align with a separate February 2026 poll by the Razumkov Centre, which also recorded a significant decline in positive Ukrainian attitudes toward the US compared to September 2025. An ECFR survey found similar trends among European publics, with growing numbers doubting the reliability of the US as a NATO ally.
