Surveys in nine EU Member States – Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden – plus the United Kingdom found that support for Ukraine remained high, but that concerns had shifted to wider implications. of the conflict. “Europeans have surprised Putin – and themselves – with their unity so far, but the big pressures are coming now,” said Mark Leonard, co-author of a report by the European Council on External Relations (ECFR) on the change. attitude towards Russia. invasion. The ability of governments to maintain public support for potentially harmful policies would be vital, Leonard said, warning that the gap between the “peace” and “justice” camps could be “just as damaging as that between creditors and debtors.” during the euro crisis “. The poll found that despite strong support across Europe for Ukraine’s bid to join the EU and Western policy to sever ties with Moscow, many voters in Europe want the war to end as soon as possible – even if this means that Ukraine will lose territories. This view often did not reflect the position of national governments, the authors said, warning EU leaders against “maximalist positions” on the war and indicating that they remained tough on Russia but wary of the dangers of escalation. “In the early stages of the war, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe felt justified in their aggression against Russia,” wrote Leonard and co-author Ivan Krastev. “But in the next phase, countries like Poland could be on the sidelines if the ‘peace camp’ expands its reach among other Member States.” The poll, conducted between April 28 and May 11, found almost universal support for Ukraine, with 73% of respondents in the 10 countries blaming Russia for the war. Graphic More than 80% in Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom (83%) and Finland (90%) said they considered Russia responsible, along with strong majorities in Italy (56%), France (62%) and Germany (66%). while majorities or pluralisms also saw Russia as the main obstacle to peace. There has been strong support for severing ties with Russia. A majority of the 10 countries considered that the governments should cut off economic and cultural relations with Moscow, with most – amounting to 71% in Poland – also in favor of ending diplomatic relations. Similarly, 58% of the 10 countries – up from 77% in Finland – wanted the EU to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, even at the expense of the bloc’s climate targets, signaling public support for a new round of EU sanctions. , including oil. However, the ECFR poll showed a clear gap between Europeans who want peace as soon as possible (35% in 10 countries) and those who want justice – defined as restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and holding Russia accountable (22%). A third “swing” group, which shares the supporters of justice’s anti-Russian sentiments, but also the peace camp fears of escalation, represented about 20% of voters, according to the report – with wide distribution differences between countries. graphic The peace camp – whose supporters also tended to believe Ukraine would be worse than Russia at the end of the conflict – was most strongly supported in Italy (52%), according to the poll, while Poland had the largest justice camp. with 41%. . Most importantly, views on the EU’s political response to the invasion differed depending on the camp in which the respondents were, with voters in favor of severing economic, diplomatic and cultural ties and voters in favor of only first of them. Asked what they were most concerned about the war, respondents in Germany, Italy and France were more concerned about the cost of living and energy prices, while respondents in Sweden, the United Kingdom and Poland were more concerned about the threat of nuclear war. . As the conflict continues and costs rise, governments will increasingly be forced to “balance the pursuit of European unity with differing views both within and between Member States,” the authors write, noting a “widening gap between positions.” of many governments and public access to their respective countries “.
