65% of citizens of NATO member states support assistance to Ukraine - poll

The public opinion survey that NATO conducted in the Alliance countries before the summit in Vilnius shows this.

Overall, support for NATO in the countries remains strong, as does support for continued assistance to Ukraine.

Thus, according to the survey, 65% of respondents support the continuation of assistance to Ukraine from their countries.

Photo: nato.int

And about two-thirds of Alliance respondents believe that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected their country's security (64%).

Photo: nato.int

The majority of respondents consider NATO to be important for the future security of their country (73%), and 70% would vote in favor of their country remaining a member of NATO in a referendum. Support for maintaining or increasing defense spending is 73%.

The majority of respondents agreed that their country should defend another NATO member in case of an attack (64%), and 62% agreed that NATO membership reduces the likelihood of a foreign attack.

Slightly more than half of respondents have a negative view of China (54%) and two-thirds have a negative view of Russia (66%). Both figures are unchanged from the previous survey conducted a year ago.

In the run-up to the NATO Summit in Vilnius in 2023, NATO commissioned a survey in 31 Allied countries. The survey assesses public opinion in Allied countries, including support for NATO membership, collective defense, and defense spending.

• On July 11-12, the NATO summit will take place in Vilnius. At the summit, Ukraine expects concrete decisions on its path to joining the Alliance. On July 4, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called on NATO allies to offer Ukraine a simplified accession to the Alliance at the Vilnius summit to increase the effectiveness of Ukrainians on the battlefield.

• Also, on July 5, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau expressed hope that Ukraine would be admitted to NATO under an accelerated procedure.

• On July 6, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Kyiv needs a clear signal from NATO that Ukraine will be a member of the Alliance.

• On July 7, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance would agree on a three-pronged package to bring Ukraine closer to NATO. He expressed hope that at the summit in Vilnius, NATO leaders would confirm that Ukraine would become a member of the Alliance.