Germans want more diplomacy over Ukraine conflict – survey
More than half of Germans want their government to increase diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict, a recent opinion poll has shown. Over 70% of respondents believe there is no need for Berlin to further ramp up its weapons supplies to Kiev.
Conducted by the broadcaster ARD and published on Thursday, the latest DeutschlandTrend survey indicated that some 55% of Germans believe that Berlin is not doing enough diplomacy-wise to secure a peace agreement between Kiev and Moscow. The share of people espousing this view has risen by 14 percentage points since June.
Amid Ukraine’s renewed calls for Germany to provide it with yet more weaponry, the pollster asked people if they would back additional deliveries.
In response, 41% replied by saying that the current level of support is sufficient, while another 30% believe that Berlin has already gone overboard.
Overall, 47% of Germans consider Ukraine a trustworthy partner – down 16 percentage points from the figure reported in March. However, the share of those holding such a view of Russia is 10%, the survey indicated.
The poll revealed that the German population is split in its view of the sanctions that Berlin has imposed on Moscow since late February, with 37% wanting Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to further tighten the screws on the Kremlin, whereas 31% are satisfied with the current level of sanctions, and 23% think Berlin should not have gone as far as it has.
Among Germans’ top concerns are rising prices, with some 66% of those polled believing that if the current trend continues unabated, they may end up not being able to pay their bills, the study found.
