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Most Cypriots don’t blame Russia

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Cyprus is the only country in the European Union where a majority disagrees that Russia is responsible for the conflict in Ukraine, while over half of Cypriots do not support sanctions against Moscow.

According to a Flash Eurobarometer survey on the war in Ukraine, most EU citizens either totally (52%) or tend to agree (26%) that Russian authorities are mainly responsible for the current situation, and 52% of Cypriots disagree.

Meanwhile, the support for sanctions on Russia was less than 50% in just two member states, Bulgaria (44%) and Cyprus ( 48%).

Support for economic sanctions targeting Russia is high in most EU Member States – 70% or more respondents approve in 21 countries.

Support for sanctions on Russia is at its highest in Finland, Poland, and Portugal, where 91% to 93% of the population approves of how the EU has responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Regarding support for sanctions against wealthy Russians, approval ranges from the lowest 46% in Cyprus, 53% in Greece and 58% in Bulgaria, to 90% in Finland and Portugal and 91% in Poland.

About two-thirds of respondents approve of financing the purchase and supply of military equipment to Ukraine, including 33% who fully approve and 34% who tend to approve.

In Cyprus, the approval rate drops to 31% and 30% in Bulgaria.

The majority of EU citizens asked agreed that Ukraine is part of the European family in all but two countries.

More than half agree that Ukraine should join the EU when ready in all countries except Hungary (where 47% agree).

The largest share of respondents agreeing that Ukraine should join the EU when it is ready was in Portugal (87%), followed by Estonia (83%), Lithuania (82%) and Poland (81%).

The biggest percentage disagreeing that Ukraine should join the EU were in Luxembourg (38%), Greece (37%), Hungary (36%), Austria and Bulgaria (both 35%), and Cyprus and Slovakia (both 34%).

Satisfaction with how authorities have reacted to the war in Ukraine is lower.

About half of respondents are satisfied with how the national authorities in their country, the EU authorities, NATO, and the United States have reacted (between 47% and 54%).

Satisfaction with how the United Nations reacted is overall the lowest (40%).

Regarding  NATO’s response, just 18% of respondents in Cyprus said they were satisfied.

On the other hand, Danish citizens were the most content with NATO’s response, with 69% approval.

When it came to the response from the United States, respondents in Cyprus (19%), Greece (23%), and Bulgaria (25%) were least satisfied, while those in Poland (73%) and Denmark (65%) are the most satisfied.

Among a relative majority of respondents, the EU’s response to the war in Ukraine has not led to an increase in identification with Europe: 25% tend to disagree, and 21% totally disagree that they feel more European since the war in Ukraine started, compared to 13% who totally agree and 30% who tend to agree.

The lowest rates of people stating they feel more European were once more recorded in Cyprus, where just 19% said they agreed with the statement.