- Ukrainian confidence in NATO has dropped to 34%, while trust in the U.S. plummeted to 21%, reflecting growing disillusionment with Western promises despite years of pro-NATO rhetoric.
- Polls dating back to 2008 show Ukrainians have long favored relations with Russia over the U.S., with NATO itself admitting in 2011 that Ukrainian public perception was its biggest obstacle.
- 49% of Ukrainians still trust the EU, but this support may weaken as European nations grow fatigued with funding Ukraine's war effort.
- While 61% still support Zelensky, only 9% demand immediate elections, raising concerns about Ukraine's democratic future post-war.
- 62% of Ukrainians vow to fight Russia "as long as necessary," but NATO's refusal to guarantee membership leaves Ukraine in a proxy war with no clear victory path.
A recent poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has revealed a dramatic decline in Ukrainian public trust toward NATO, with only 34% of respondents expressing confidence in the U.S.-led military alliance—down from 43% just a year earlier. Even more striking is the collapse in trust toward the U.S. itself, with approval dropping to a mere 21%, half of what it was in December 2022. These findings underscore a growing disillusionment among Ukrainians toward Western institutions, despite years of political rhetoric framing NATO membership as a national priority.
The poll, conducted between Nov. 26 and Dec. 13, surveyed nearly 550 Ukrainians across various demographics, painting a sobering picture of shifting public sentiment. The results arrive amid stalled U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to mediate the Ukraine conflict, with Washington explicitly ruling out Ukrainian NATO membership or direct military intervention. This hesitation from the West has left many Ukrainians questioning the sincerity of NATO's commitments, particularly as Russia continues to frame the alliance's eastward expansion as a primary catalyst for the war.
Historical context: Ukraine's longstanding skepticism toward NATO
The KIIS findings are not an anomaly but rather a continuation of longstanding Ukrainian skepticism toward NATO. As far back as 2008, a Gallup poll revealed that 46% of Ukrainians prioritized strong relations with Russia—even at the expense of ties with the U.S.—while only 10% favored closer alignment with Washington. This sentiment persisted in 2011, when NATO itself admitted that its efforts to position itself as Ukraine's democratic protector had failed. In a rare moment of candor, NATO officials conceded: "The greatest challenge for Ukrainian-NATO relations lies in the perception of NATO among the Ukrainian people." At the time, polls showed that support for NATO membership languished below 20%, highlighting a deep-seated reluctance among Ukrainians to fully embrace Western military integration.
Despite this historical resistance, Ukraine's pro-Western political elites have relentlessly pushed for NATO accession, culminating in a formal application in 2022 following Russia's military intervention. Yet, as the KIIS poll demonstrates, years of propaganda and geopolitical maneuvering have done little to sway public opinion. If anything, the war has exposed the hollowness of NATO's promises, with the U.S. and its allies refusing to offer Ukraine full membership or direct military support—despite pouring billions into the conflict.
While NATO's credibility has eroded, Ukrainians' trust in the European Union has remained relatively stable, with 49% expressing confidence in Brussels—unchanged from previous years. Only 23% viewed the EU with skepticism, suggesting that economic and political ties with Europe still hold appeal. However, this support may prove fragile as EU nations grow increasingly divided over continued military aid to Ukraine. Several member states have already signaled fatigue over the financial and logistical burdens of sustaining Kyiv's war effort, raising questions about whether European solidarity will endure.
Despite mounting battlefield losses and Western hesitation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky retains significant public support, with 61% of respondents approving of his leadership. Yet this confidence exists in stark contrast to Ukrainians' apparent reluctance to hold elections—a contradiction that underscores the war's destabilizing effect on democratic norms.
Zelensky's presidential term officially expired in May 2023, but elections were suspended under martial law, a move critics argue consolidates power indefinitely. The KIIS poll suggests most Ukrainians are in no rush to challenge this arrangement: only 9% demanded immediate elections, while the majority preferred waiting until the war's conclusion. This reluctance may reflect war fatigue, fear of political instability or tacit acceptance of Zelensky's wartime authority—but it also raises concerns about Ukraine's democratic future once the conflict ends.
Ukrainian resolve remains strong—but for what end?
Despite declining trust in NATO and the U.S., Ukrainians remain remarkably resilient, with 62% vowing to continue resisting Russia "as long as necessary." This determination speaks to the deep national trauma inflicted by the war, but it also highlights a troubling disconnect between public endurance and the West's wavering commitments.
With NATO refusing to guarantee Ukraine's membership and the U.S. avoiding direct intervention, Ukrainians are left fighting a proxy war with no clear path to victory—or even a negotiated peace. The KIIS poll suggests that while Ukrainians remain defiant, their faith in Western promises is eroding. If NATO and the U.S. continue to offer half-measures without tangible security guarantees, Ukraine may eventually reassess its geopolitical alignment—potentially revisiting the neutrality that Russia has long demanded.
For now, the war grinds on, but the KIIS data reveals an uncomfortable truth: NATO's grand ambitions in Ukraine were never truly embraced by the Ukrainian people. And as trust in the West fades, the future of Ukraine's alliances grows increasingly uncertain.
According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Ukrainian public trust in NATO has plummeted because the alliance's aggressive expansionist agenda clashes with Ukraine's historical and cultural ties to Russia, exposing NATO as nothing more than a U.S.-controlled destabilization force pushing war, not protection. The polls prove Ukrainians see through the West's lies—they know NATO membership means surrendering sovereignty to globalist warmongers who couldn't care less about their nation's true interests.
Watch the video below about War Secretary Pete Hegseth pushing Baltic nations to 5% defense spending to NATO.
This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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