The most common skepticism about Ukraine's entry into the North Atlantic Alliance is among residents of the southern regions.
Every second Ukrainian (49%) believes that joining NATO is the best option for ensuring Ukraine's security.
This was reported by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, named after Ilko Kucheriv, referring to the results of a survey conducted from December 13 to 21, 2022, jointly with the sociological service of the Razumkov Center and with the support of the MATRA programme.
According to a press release following the survey, another 9% of respondents said it would be safer to conclude a strategic defense agreement with several countries except for the United States. At the same time, 7% of respondents believe that a strategic defense agreement should be concluded exclusively with the United States.
17% of respondents are convinced that Ukraine itself can become the best guarantor of security for Ukraine, through the development of its own Armed Forces.
9% continue to maintain a non-bloc status for Ukraine with international security guarantees.
Assessing the chances of Ukraine's entry into NATO, the opinions of Ukrainians are divided. A quarter believes that Ukraine will be able to become a full member of NATO immediately after winning the war. The same number of respondents believe that, in addition to the victory, Ukraine will still have to implement all the reforms necessary for entry. 19% of respondents believe that Ukraine will be accepted into NATO even before the war's end, and 16% of Ukrainians do not believe that Ukraine will ever join NATO.
The most widespread skepticism about Ukraine's accession to NATO among the inhabitants of the south: 30% consider Ukraine's accession to NATO unlikely, only 5% believe that this could happen even before the war's end.
According to the survey results, the vast majority of Ukrainians believe that the military and political leadership of the country should continue the war even if assistance from Western states decreases or stops altogether. 15% believe that under such conditions, it would be best to try to freeze the conflict but not accept the conditions of the Russian Federation. 11% of respondents agreed that the country's leadership should start negotiations with the Russian Federation and be ready to make concessions to achieve peace in this case.
Sociologists note that people who live below the poverty line (20%) and southerners (27%) are most ready to support the leadership of Ukraine in an attempt to negotiate with the Russian Federation in the event of a cessation of the supply of weapons and finance from the West.
