Three years of reporting, funded by our readers — become a member now and help us prepare for 2025.
Goal: 1,000 new members for our birthday. Gift a membership to your friend and help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Become a member Gift membership
Skip to content
Edit post

Poll: Fewer Ukrainians consider Poland 'a friendly country' than last year

by Dinara Khalilova and The Kyiv Independent news desk February 21, 2024 2:02 PM 2 min read
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish President Andrzej Duda after commemorating the victims of the Volyn tragedy at the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lutsk, Ukraine July 9, 2023. (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The share of Ukrainians who perceive Poland as "a friendly country" has decreased from 94% to 79% since June last year, according to a poll by the Sociological Group Rating published on Feb. 21.

The survey was conducted on Feb. 10-11 before the latest escalation at the Polish-Ukrainian border on Feb. 20 when some protesting farmers dumped Ukrainian grain and displayed anti-Ukrainian slogans, sparking an outcry in Ukraine.

The number of Ukrainians who consider Poland to be "unequivocally friendly" as opposed to "rather friendly" dropped from 79% to 33% since the last time such a poll was conducted in June 2023, the group wrote.

The nations most Ukrainians perceive as friendly also include the U.S. and the U.K. (81%), Germany (80%), Lithuania (79%), Canada (78%), France (70%), and Japan (55%), the poll results showed.

The sociologists interviewed 1,000 adults from across Ukraine except for the annexed Crimea and occupied territories in the country's east as well as areas without access to the Ukrainian mobile network.

Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunchest allies since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, but the relations began to sour somewhat last year over agricultural trade disputes.

Both countries are major agricultural producers. When the EU lifted restrictions and tariffs on Ukrainian goods in 2022, farmers in Poland and other neighboring countries complained that cheaper imports from Ukraine presented an unfair advantage.

In protest, Polish carriers and farmers blocked Poland-Ukraine border crossings between November 2023 and January, harming Ukraine's economy and causing delays in humanitarian aid deliveries.

Polish farmers launched a new blockade at the Ukraine border in February, citing what they perceive as inaction and broken promises by Polish authorities.

Polish Agriculture Deputy Minister Michal Kolodziejczak told Polsat News on Feb. 20 that Warsaw may consider additional restrictions on Ukrainian food products in addition to an embargo on Ukrainian grain if a deal with Kyiv cannot be reached.

Tusk warns economic disputes may spark ‘anti-Ukrainian sentiments’
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that economic disputes between Poland and Ukraine may cause “sudden emergence of anti-Ukrainian sentiments,” the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported on Feb. 11.
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Three years. Millions of readers. All thanks to 12,000 supporters.
It’s thanks to readers like you that we can celebrate another birthday this November. We’re looking for another 1,000 members to help fund our mission, keep our journalism accessible for all, and prepare for whatever 2025 might bring. Consider gifting a membership today or help us spread the word.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Become a member Gift membership
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

5:50 AM

Crimean Tatar editor goes missing in occupied Crimea.

Ediye Muslimova, the editor-in-chief of a Crimean Tatar children's magazine, disappeared in Russian-occupied Crimea on Nov. 21. Local sources say she was forced into a vehicle by three men and is being detained by the Russian FSB.
7:59 PM

Muslim who fled Russia on his new life in Ukraine.

Ali Charinskiy is an activist and professional martial artist from the Republic of Dagestan who advocated for the rights of Muslims. The Kyiv Independent spent a day with Charinskiy in his new home, a southern Ukrainian city of Odesa.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.