A friend in the north? Ukrainians trust Belarus' Lukashenko more than Biden, Macron & Putin, new poll reveals

3 Feb, 2021 14:35

By Jonny Tickle

Ukrainians have more faith in Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko than in newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden. That's according to a new survey, which revealed that 36 percent of respondents trust the leader in Minsk.

The poll asked 1,205 Ukrainians located throughout the country whether they trust Lukashenko, Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the embattled Belarusian coming in first place.

"Among the list of leaders, most respondents – 36 percent – trust Lukashenko," the report revealed. "But, at the same time, 53.6 percent do not trust him."

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Biden and Macron came in second and third place, respectively, with 26.7 percent and 26.2 percent; while Putin finished last with just 14.4 percent. The Russian leader was by far the least preferred, with over three-quarters of respondents (78.9 percent) expressing distrust.

In an interview published earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that he would like to work productively with Biden, starting a "new phase" in relations between Kiev and Washington.

The survey was conducted by Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KMIS), a company with a history of working for foreign governments.

As well as asking about foreign leaders, the pollsters also quizzed Ukrainians about domestic politicians. The survey revealed that Vitaly Klitschko, the former boxer turned mayor of Kiev, is the most trusted (37.5 percent). After Klitschko came Zelensky (35.5 percent) and former prime minister Vladimir Groysman (30.9 percent).

The opposition politician who commanded the most confidence in the country was Yury Boyko (28.9 percent) of the Opposition Platform – For Life party. Petro Poroshenko, the former president defeated by Zelensky in 2019, was distrusted by 74.4 percent of respondents – by far the highest result for a domestic political figure.

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