Poll: Nearly 60% of Poles oppose Ukraine's EU accession

Nearly 60% of Poles (59.7% to be exact) do not support Ukraine joining the European Union, according to a new poll. Meanwhile, 35.4% of respondents are backing Ukraine's EU accession, with support highest among voters of the governing coalition.

Source: European Pravda, citing the results of the poll conducted by the IBRiS institute for Radio ZET

Details: Respondents were asked whether they believe Ukraine should join the EU. Among those opposed to Ukraine's accession, 27.4% answered "rather not" and 32.3% said "definitely not".

More than one in three respondents (35.4%) support Ukraine joining the EU. Of these, 8.4% answered "definitely yes" and 26.9% said "rather yes".

About 5% of respondents said they have no opinion on the issue.

A clear majority of voters backing parties in the governing coalition (Civic Platform, The Left, the Polish People's Party and Poland 2050) support Ukraine's EU accession: 64% are in favour, while 32% oppose it.

The poll has found that among voters supporting opposition parties (Law and Justice, Confederation, Confederation of the Polish Crown and Razem), 24% back Ukraine's accession to the EU, while 73% are opposed.

The nationwide poll for Radio ZET was conducted by the Institute for Market and Social Research (IBRiS) using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) on 12-13 June. It surveyed a representative sample of 1,068 respondents.

Background:

• Earlier polling found that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to name a Ukrainian military unit after the heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) has been received largely negatively by the Polish public and worsened attitudes towards Ukrainians.
• More than half of those surveyed also said they believe President Zelenskyy holds a negative view of Poland.
• On the evening of 19 June, Polish President Karol Nawrocki took the decision to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle in connection with the naming of a Ukrainian military unit after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He said Poland would not allow EU accession for those who do not understand the need to renounce the "cult of totalitarianism and violence".
• Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has said it is engaged in diplomatic efforts with the Polish side to resolve the latest tensions between the two countries.

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