Some 44.6% of Ukrainians trust U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, around 10 points less than incumbent President Joe Biden, a survey by New Europe Center published on Dec. 10 showed.
In comparison, researchers cite a separate June poll from the Pew Research Center that showed that among the surveyed European countries, Trump enjoyed the highest trust in Hungary: 37%. In France, Trump was trusted by 16% of the population, and in the U.K., 30%.
According to the researchers, the relatively high trust in Trump can be explained by hopes for a "clearer and more decisive policy towards Ukraine from the new U.S. administration " and possibly a desire for peace in certain parts of the population.
"Trump’s high level of trust could also be due to disappointment in the current U.S. president, who recorded a significant drop in the indicator," the authors said.
This is despite Trump's past criticism of the military support that Biden provided to Ukraine and his intent to get the U.S. "out" of the war. The president-elect pledged to bring both sides to the negotiating table, which some fear may entail forcing Kyiv toward painful concessions.
When asked last year whether they preferred Trump or Biden, only 10% of respondents named the Republican politician, underscoring the stark change of mood since 2023.
The Biden administration donated more than $60 billion worth of military equipment to Ukraine during the full-scale war. At the same time, the incumbent president's policy has been criticized as overly cautious and self-restricting.
The survey showed that while Biden was the most trusted Western leader in 2023, at 82%, this figure dropped to 55.2% this year. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also went from 61.4% to 36.9% since 2023. The U.S. and Germany are Ukraine's leading military donors.
As Trump's presidency approaches, the outgoing Biden administration seeks to ship as much aid to Ukraine as possible, announcing a military aid package worth almost $1 billion on Dec. 7.
Trump is expected to reduce that aid as he takes office in January 2025 to force Ukraine to the negotiating table and cede territory for peace.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish President Andrzej Duda remain relatively trusted; both enjoy the confidence of 65% of Ukrainians.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has adopted more hawkish rhetoric toward Russia, saw a modest growth of trust as the only Western leader: from 54.5% to 58.4%.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
