Survey: 65% of Europeans support Ukraine joining EU in next few years

Sixty-five percent of Europeans believe that Ukraine should be admitted into the European Union during the next few years, according to survey findings published by the Bertelsmann Foundation on March 22.

Sixty-one percent also favor the EU providing weapons to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, the results showed.

Additionally, 67% percent of Europeans supported becoming less dependent on Russian energy, even if it resulted in higher energy costs across the continent.

"The EU is facing gigantic tasks: It has to assert itself politically in a multipolar world over the long term and reform itself internally," Ralph Heck, CEO of the Bertelsmann Foundation, said.

"If Europe succeeds in maintaining its current unity, that is exactly the strength that the EU needs for the future," he added.

This is the fourth time the Bertelsmann Foundation has conducted the survey since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the findings report, 13,000 Europeans in total were surveyed.

Ukraine obtained EU candidate status in June after applying for membership a few days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

On Feb. 2, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he believes Ukraine deserves negotiations on European Union membership this year.

According to a Jan. 23 poll by the Rating Group, 87% of Ukrainians are currently in favor of their country's aspiration to join the European Union.

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The Kyiv Independent