Seventy-six percent of Ukrainians consider it unacceptable for the country to withhold its NATO membership bid "as a price for peace," according to recent polls conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
The share of those who insist on NATO accession as opposed to receiving security guarantees has increased from 39% to 58% since May 2022, the KIIS reported on July 10.
Survey results show that a total of 89% of Ukrainians want their country to become a member of NATO, with the figure ranging from 79% in Ukraine's east to 93% in western regions.
"It is important to emphasize once again that it was not the Ukrainians' desire to join NATO that 'provoked' Russia, but rather Russian aggression became the catalyst for public support for Euro-Atlantic integration," said Anton Hrushetskyi, the KIIS's executive director.
"At the same time, the longer the war lasts, the more Ukrainians insist on full membership in NATO, and the security guarantees from other states look less convincing."
In its press release, the KIIS used the results of two surveys it had conducted on May 10-21 and May 26-June 5. The institute interviewed 3538 Ukrainian adults residing in Kyiv-controlled territories.
According to sociologists, on the eve of the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, only 15-20% of Ukrainians backed the idea of joining NATO. In 2021, this number amounted to 48%.
Iryna Matviyishyn
