Ukrainians turn to Europe as trust in the U.S. collapses, survey shows

Trust in the United States among Ukrainians has fallen sharply over the past year, while confidence in Europe has strengthened, according to a new nationwide survey that also shows broad public readiness to bear the economic costs of EU accession and deep scepticism towards any peace deal with Russia that involves major concessions.

The findings, published in December, reflect a society that increasingly sees European integration as a tool for internal transformation rather than a quick fix for security, while remaining deeply distrustful of Moscow’s intentions and wary of Western guarantees.

Collapse of confidence in Washington

The most striking shift over the past year is the increasingly critical attitude towards the U.S. and its support for Ukraine. Only 10.6% of respondents believe Washington is doing everything possible to ensure Ukraine’s victory, while a further 18.2% tend to agree with that statement. By contrast, more than 65% disagree, either strongly or mostly.

This change is widely attributed to the suspension of U.S. military assistance and the promotion of so-called peace initiatives that many Ukrainians perceive as echoing Kremlin demands.

These developments have had a direct impact on perceptions of U.S. President Donald Trump. Just 24.4% of respondents say they trust him, compared with 44.6% a year ago, when Trump had won the election but had not yet taken office. Today, 72.7% of Ukrainians say they do not trust the U.S. president, placing him among the least trusted global leaders in the survey.

The decline in confidence in Washington has also dragged down trust in NATO. Only 19.4% now see NATO membership as the best security guarantee for Ukraine, down from 29.3% a year earlier. Overall trust in the Alliance has fallen from 64.4% to 53.7%, although this still exceeds trust in the United Nations, which stands at 35.6%.

Despite this, support for joining NATO remains robust. Some 71.3% of Ukrainians back membership, slightly higher than a year ago. Trust in NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has also increased, rising to 59.2%, reflecting his consistent support for Ukraine and willingness to defend that position even in difficult exchanges with Washington.

Europe seen as anchor for change

At the same time, Europe’s willingness to continue supporting Ukraine despite the U.S. policy shift has translated into higher levels of trust. Confidence in the EU has risen from 69.2% to 72.1% over the past year.

While many Ukrainians still consider European military assistance insufficient, support for EU membership is overwhelming. Some 85.5% back Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, with only 11.5% opposed.

Expectations about timing remain cautious. Around one third believe Ukraine could join the EU within five years, while a growing share (19% now, 16.8% a year ago) expects accession to take place as soon as the war ends. A smaller but rising minority, 15.2%, believe Ukraine will never become an EU member.

Crucially, support for European integration is linked less to immediate economic benefits and more to systemic change. Asked what would signal successful EU integration, respondents most frequently cited the fight against corruption, the rule of law and democratic standards. Improvements in living standards ranked lower.

Two thirds of Ukrainians say they would continue to support EU integration even if it led to higher prices or additional administrative burdens, underlining a willingness to accept short-term costs for long-term reforms.

How Ukraine is almost already “EU-ready” in foreign and defence policy

No trust in Moscow, support for own nuclear arsenal

If there is one issue that unites Ukrainian society more strongly than EU membership, it is distrust of Russia. Nearly 87% believe that if fighting is frozen, Moscow would resume its attack after a short pause. Almost 65% say there is no point in negotiating with Russia without concrete Western security guarantees.

Yet confidence in any external guarantees is limited. Support has grown modestly for the idea of deploying European troops in Ukraine, but only about half see a non-combat foreign presence as a credible security element. Just 10.2% believe U.S. troops could provide reliable guarantees, and even fewer trust UN peacekeepers.

Against this backdrop, the single most popular perceived security guarantee is the development of Ukraine’s own nuclear weapons, supported by 31.1% of respondents, with a further 7.8% favouring nuclear guarantees from another country.

Ukrainians are also deeply resistant to concessions to Russia. A majority say they would protest against an agreement involving “unacceptable” compromises. These include legal recognition of occupied territories as Russian, cuts to the Ukrainian armed forces, granting state status to the Russian language, lifting sanctions on Moscow or reducing reparations.

European leaders gain ground

The shift away from Washington has been mirrored by rising trust in European leaders who have maintained strong support for Kyiv. The UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer tops the trust rankings, followed closely by several EU leaders, including Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France’s President Emmanuel Macron and leaders from Sweden, Lithuania and Latvia.

By contrast, trust in Poland’s new president has dropped sharply, reflecting growing unease over Warsaw’s political trajectory. At the bottom of the rankings are the leaders of Russia and Belarus, followed by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, China’s Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.

Taken together, the findings point to a Ukrainian society that remains firmly anchored to Europe, sceptical of easy peace and increasingly prepared to rely on itself if Western guarantees fall short.

The poll was conducted by Info Sapiens for the New Europe Center between 5 and 26 November 2025 among 1,000 respondents, with a theoretical margin of error of no more than 3.1%.

The full article in Ukrainian by EUalive’s partner European Pravda can be found here.

Caption: Locals queue to receive a hot meal during a food aid distribution in a residential area of Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 16 December 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. Volunteers cook and distribute food to locals struggling to prepare meals for themselves due to the frequent and long electricity cuts. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV