Most Ukrainians doubt US protection from Russia, see Europe as reliable ally – KIIS

A majority of Ukrainians (69%) now believe that Europe provides substantial assistance to Ukraine and desires a fair resolution to the conflict, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between October 16-29. This figure has increased from 64% in May, reflecting growing confidence in Europe's commitment.

Conversely, 25% of respondents still see Europe as fatigued and pressuring Ukraine towards an unfair peace, a perception that has remained unchanged since previous polls. Meanwhile, 61% of Ukrainians doubt the US's willingness to support Ukraine, with this sentiment rising from 56% in May. Only 30% maintain the view that the US remains a dependable ally.

When presented with a hypothetical scenario of a ceasefire along the current front lines and security guarantees from the US and Europe, 56% of respondents trust Europe to fulfill its obligations and aid Ukraine in the event of a renewed Russian invasion, while 38% do not. These figures have remained relatively stable compared to the April survey, with a slight uptick in the belief that Europe would provide assistance.

In contrast, 54% of Ukrainians believe the US would not aid Ukraine, while 32% think it would. The survey, conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) across all government-controlled regions of Ukraine, involved a random sample of 1,017 adult respondents. While the formal statistical margin of error for samples with a probability of 0.95 remains within 4% for indicators near 50% and 1.7% for indicators near 5%, wartime conditions introduce certain systematic deviations while preserving overall representativeness.