A survey conducted by the Razumkov Center on April 2-8, 2026, commissioned by the Kyiv Security Forum, records the largest redistribution of Ukrainian sympathies toward international actors in recent years. The overall vector is pro-Western. But the details suggest something more complex.
NATO's Fall — the Sharpest in the Rating
The balance of attitudes toward the Alliance (the difference between positive and negative assessments) stands at +39.9% — compared to +61.8% in September 2025. A drop of 21.9 percentage points over six months — the deepest decline among all organizations and countries in the study.
The EU lost less, but still significantly: the balance fell from +79.2% to +63.4%. The USA — from +46.6% to +33.4%. In other words, all three key Western reference points declined simultaneously — and this against the backdrop of February 2026, when support for NATO and EU membership as such continued to grow (71% and 83% respectively, according to a previous KSF survey).
The gap between "I want to join NATO" and "I view NATO favorably" is not a contradiction, but a diagnosis: Ukrainians are not abandoning the goal, but they are demanding payment for the pace.
China: Hatred is Retreating
The most unexpected shift — not on the western side of the rating, but on the eastern one. The balance of attitudes toward China rose by 37.1 percentage points — from minus 70.3% in September 2025 to minus 33.2% in April 2026. China remains in negative territory, but antipathy is half as strong as it was half a year ago.
"The results of the study are a snapshot of the psychological state of Ukrainians after more than a thousand days of full-scale war — their perceptions of themselves, their country, peace, friends, and enemies."
Yuriy Yakimenko, President of the Razumkov Center
What lies behind this shift is more difficult to establish. Beijing has stepped up diplomatic rhetoric about "peaceful settlement," and part of Ukrainians seem to have registered this — even though there has been no actual change in China's position regarding supplies to Russia.
Who Remains "One of Us"
At the top of the countries' rating are Sweden, Estonia, and Canada. Scandinavian and Baltic states consistently hold the top positions in Ukrainian sympathies, which correlates with their consistent position on sanctions, weapons, and rhetoric.
- Estonia spends over 3% of GDP on defense and is one of the most active lobbyists for Ukraine in NATO.
- Sweden, after joining the Alliance in 2024, became a symbol of the "right choice" for part of Ukrainian society.
- Canada ranks among the leaders in military and financial assistance per capita among G7 countries.
This is not just "sympathy" — this is a trust rating built on concrete actions, not declarative support.
What Simultaneous Decline of Three Indicators Means
Separately, each indicator is statistical noise. Together — it is a signal: between February and April 2026, the negotiation process around Ukraine stalled, the American administration demonstrated inconsistency, and there was no real progress on membership. Public assessment responds to specifics, not rhetoric.
If by fall 2026, none of the three dimensions — membership, weapons, security guarantees — acquire clear timeframes, the next KSF survey will record not fluctuations, but a steady downward trend. And then the question will no longer be about "attitudes," but whether the Euro-Atlantic vector will remain a consensus within Ukraine.
