Close Allies, Distant Views

Now in the fifth year of resisting Russia’s full-scale war of aggression, Ukraine and the European Union are closely interconnected. Yet their citizens differ significantly in how they view granting Ukraine EU membership and the adjustment costs involved, as well as in how they assess their respective contributions to Europe’s security. While many Ukrainians want their country to join the EU soon, 53% of EU respondents do not want Ukraine to become a full member in the coming years. EU citizens are also far less willing than Ukrainians to bear higher short-term costs to make Ukraine’s accession successful.

Drawing on representative data of June 2026, Close Allies, Distant Views examines these differences in perception and shows to which extent support for Ukraine’s EU accession has declined since the start of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression in 2022. European unity cannot be taken for granted. As an EU candidate country, Ukraine can no longer count on a “solidarity bonus”. Policymakers have the challenging task to persuade long-term why supporting Ukraine now and firmly anchoring it in the EU are in the interests of Europe as a whole.