Most EU residents oppose Ukraine joining the bloc in the near future — Bild poll

More than half of European Union residents are opposed to Ukraine joining the bloc in the coming years.

The data is cited by Bild, referencing a poll by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

According to the poll results, 83% of Ukrainians support their country joining the EU in the coming years. Among EU residents themselves, only 47% share this view, while 53% are against it.

Among the 10 largest EU countries, Germany ranked second to last in support for Ukraine’s rapid accession — at 41%. Only Romania scored lower, at 40%.

Sweden showed the highest level of support among major EU countries — 69%. In Spain, the figure was 63%.

The poll also recorded a divergence in assessments of Ukraine’s role in pan-European defense. 58% of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression constitutes a defense of the entire European continent and the EU as a whole. Meanwhile, 29% of EU residents are convinced that the Union and its member states contribute more to collective defense than Ukraine does.

The outlet had previously reported that EU members do not believe Ukraine will become a member by the end of the decade, if at all.