Majority of Poles Oppose Backing Ukraine’s EU Bid, Poll Finds

A majority of Poles oppose their country supporting Ukraine’s efforts to join the European Union, while respondents remain closely divided over continued military assistance, according to a new survey. The Opinia24 poll found that 52% of respondents opposed Poland supporting Ukraine’s EU membership efforts, compared with 33% who favored such support.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Opposition was even stronger toward the potential deployment of Polish troops to Ukraine after the war. Sixty-five percent rejected sending Polish forces to supervise a ceasefire or peace agreement, while 18% supported the idea. The results indicate growing reservations in Poland over the country’s future role in supporting Ukraine, even as Warsaw remains one of Kyiv’s key European partners during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Views on continued military support were more evenly divided when respondents were asked about assistance in the context of Ukraine’s commemoration of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known as the UPA. Forty-four percent said Poland should suspend military assistance, while 41% said Warsaw should continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. A separate IBRiS poll published earlier in July found that 52.2% of respondents supported continued Polish military assistance to Ukraine, while 45.2% opposed it. The Opinia24 survey also showed broad approval for Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state decoration. Other Topics of Interest Iran Says It ‘Does Not Seek Escalation’ After Sybiha Call Over Caspian Sea Strike, Demands Compensation Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha spoke with his Iranian counterpart on July 28, seeking to avoid further escalation following Ukraine’s strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. Fifty-five percent supported the decision, while 27% opposed it. Nawrocki announced the move about a month before the survey was published. The poll also asked whether respondents’ attitudes toward Ukrainians had changed since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Fifty-four percent said their views had remained unchanged. However, 36% said their attitudes had worsened, while only 3% reported that they had improved. The survey comes amid tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv over historical memory, military assistance and Ukraine’s path toward European integration. Poland has provided Ukraine with weapons and served as a major transit hub for international military and humanitarian assistance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. It has also received a large number of Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, disputes connected to the UPA and the wartime massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia have remained a major source of tension between the two countries. The Opinia24 survey was conducted from July 13 to 15 among 1,000 adult Polish citizens. RMF24’s report did not specify a margin of error. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.