Ukrainians' opinion of U.S. government leadership reached its highest point in 2022 before falling to pre-war levels, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday.
Ukrainian public opinion of the U.S. leadership fluctuated from 20 percent to 40 percent from 2014 to 2021. That number jumped in 2022 as Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February and the United States became the war-torn country's largest provider of military aid. . Still, approval ratings this year have returned to pre-conflict levels, according to a Gallup poll.
As the United States stepped up its support for Ukraine in the wake of Russia's military invasion, ratings of U.S. leadership among Ukrainians jumped to 66 percent. Since then, approval ratings have fallen to 40 percent, Gallup noted, as aid to Ukraine faced greater scrutiny, particularly opposition from national Republicans. Currently, 37 percent of Ukrainians disapprove of U.S. leadership, about the same number as those who do.
On the other hand, Ukrainians' opinions about Germany, Europe's most important military supporter of Kiev, are consistent. This year's approval rating was 50%, only a slight decline from 2023, when it hovered around 53%.
Ukraine's approval rating for the German leader was on par with that of the US leader in 2023. But this year, Berlin is viewed more favorably than Washington for the first time since war broke out in Eastern Europe, as approval ratings in the war-torn country for the US leader have fallen. Gallup pointed out.
The poll also found that just over half of Ukrainians, 51 percent, expect their country to join NATO within the next 10 years. This number is down nearly 20 points from last year, when it was about 69%.
About 22% think Kiev will never join a military alliance, a proportion that almost doubled from 2023 to 2022.
The investigation came a day after Ukraine fired a U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) long-range missile at Russia, shortly after President Biden's administration lifted restrictions on such weapons.
More than half of Ukrainians (52%) want their country to negotiate an end to the war, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. About 38% want the military to continue fighting.
Gallup polls were conducted annually with 1,000 respondents per poll. The margin of error was 3.6 to 4.3 percentage points.
