Only one in ten Europeans believes Ukraine can beat Russia, according to an EU-wide poll. The survey, conducted in 12 EU countries, including France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden, found that pessimism about the outcome of the war9 was due to Ukraine's unsuccessful counter-offensive, a possible change of US policy and a possible change of US policy. revealed that it was fueled. Donald Trump is entering the White House.
The report titled 'Wars and Elections: How European leaders can maintain public support for Ukraine' revealed that 20 percent of participants predicted Russia's victory.
The findings come on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Although support for Kiev remains high among Europeans, some form of “compromise solution” is seen by survey respondents as the most likely solution to the war.
This marks a shift in sentiment, with a majority of Europeans saying Ukraine should regain all the territory it lost by this time last year. Based on these findings, the report's authors argued that EU policymakers should adopt a more "realistic" approach focused on determining how peace can be achieved.
“To prove Europe's continued support for Ukraine, EU leaders will need to change the way they talk about the war,” said co-author Mark Leonard of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), which commissioned the survey. The Guardian quoted him as saying.
He added that most Europeans were “desperate to prevent a Russian victory” but did not believe Kiev could win militarily.
Facing an increasingly skeptical public, Leonard explained that arguments for more aid should focus on how it could “lead to a sustainable, negotiated peace that favors Kiev rather than a victory for Putin.” According to polls, Ukrainians largely oppose any deal that would cede territory to Russia.
Some experts suggest that a peace agreement that envisages the transfer of Ukrainian territory could embolden the Kremlin and possibly lead to more conflict in the future. Others believe that stopping the bloodshed is paramount.
The survey was conducted in January. Moscow has scored a strategic and symbolic victory in the eastern Donetsk region after Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from Adiivka this weekend. The preference for forcing Kiev to accept the agreement is mostly seen in Hungary (64%), Greece (59%) and Italy (52%), while the strongest support for Ukraine to take back its territory is in Sweden (50%) and Portugal ( 48%) was seen. ) and Poland (47%). Opinions are more evenly divided in Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and France.
