Romania seen as friendlier than US by most Ukrainians, survey says

Around 56% of Ukrainians think Romania is a friendly country, a higher percentage than for the United States (54%) and Poland (50%), according to Kyiv-based survey company Rating Group.

According to the survey data, which was published on the group’s website, the most friendly countries, in the opinion of Ukrainians, are the United Kingdom (80%), Lithuania (77%), France (81%, of whom 27% consider the attitude “definitely friendly”), Germany (77%) and the Republic of Moldova (68%).

Approximately half of respondents consider Turkey’s attitude friendly (48%), while another 41% say it is neutral.

Ukrainians perceive an ambiguous attitude from Hungary: 23% consider it friendly, 36% neutral, and 35% hostile. When it was led by the Orban government, Hungary blocked loans meant for Ukraine, and the country still opposes Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

Ukrainians have a mainly negative perception of China, and 53% said that its attitude towards them is hostile.

The most hostile attitude is perceived by Ukrainians from Russia (97% negative opinions) and Belarus (83% negative opinions).

Compared with previous years, perceptions of the position of France, Germany, Turkey and Hungary have become more positive.

By contrast, assessments of Poland’s attitude towards Ukraine have worsened slightly.

The same survey looked into the popularity of world leaders among Ukrainians. Among those presented, respondents had the most positive attitudes toward French president Emmanuel Macron (79%), German chancellor Friedrich Merz (64%), and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (61%).

The survey was conducted between August 4-6, 2026, using the CATI method, on a sample of 2,000 respondents.

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