A cross-national survey of European countries has found that support for forever war in Ukraine is declining. This is probably no coincidence given President-elect Donald Trump's telegram expecting Europeans to pay a greater share of the costs of defending themselves.
The feeling that Ukraine has won once and for all appears to be fading in Europe as well, with a YouGov survey this month showing that support for Kiev “until it wins” over Moscow has declined sharply across Western Europe. It turns out. guardian report.
Support for supporting Ukraine until victory, including prolonging the war, has declined in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden amid growing awareness that it will soon have to pay the price.
Meanwhile, the pollster revealed that support for a peace deal that includes a plan to give former Ukrainian territory to Russia – seen as completely unacceptable in Kiev – rose in all countries surveyed.
For example, support for a negotiated peace rose from 45 percent to 55 percent in Italy, from 38 percent to 46 percent in Spain, from 35 percent to 43 percent in France, and from 38 percent to 45 percent in Germany.
Approval for the war to last was still relatively high at 50% in Sweden, 40% in Denmark, and 36% in the UK, but support fell significantly to 57%, 51%, and 50%. each.
The decline in support for the war comes amid growing recognition that the incoming Trump administration will require European countries to pay for their own defense rather than pass the cost on to U.S. taxpayers.
According to the survey, 62% of Germans, 60% of Spaniards, 56% of Brits, 52% of French and 48% of Italians believe President Trump will cut US aid to Ukraine. are. If you want to keep Kiev in the fight, pay.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was an early adopter of this perspective. Last year he warned If the United States moves to the right, Europe could be the only one able to finance the war, but given its own economic problems, Europe cannot afford to do so.
Mr. Orbán is perhaps Donald Trump's leading supporter of peace efforts and an end to the war within the EU, which has exposed him to accusations of being a closet Putinist.
