The findings also show that people in the two countries have different perceptions of the threat emanating from Russia, leading Poles to feel a greater level of caution is warranted when dealing with their eastern neighbor. Generally, however, Poles and Germans agree that their countries should take a clear stance on the conflict in Ukraine but avoid any further escalation.
Despite their basically similar interests, however, the idea seems to have taken hold in recent months that Poles and Germans view the Russian-Ukrainian conflict differently. As the current survey, which was carried out on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Warsaw-based Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), shows: There is more that unites the two countries than divides them.
Germans and Poles agree, for example, in their assessment of their countries' relationship with Russia. More than three-quarters of respondents in both countries (78 percent) say relations between their country and Russia are poor. And people in both countries say relations have deteriorated, first and foremost because of the Ukraine conflict. However, almost equal numbers of Germans assign responsibility for the conflict to Russia (39 percent) and to both of the parties involved (43 percent), while a clear majority of Poles (61 percent) say Russia is the sole cause.