PL: Slovakia turned out to be the most Russophile country in Eastern Europe
A survey by the Globsec analytical center revealed that pro-Russian and anti-Western sentiments are more widespread in Slovakia from all countries of Eastern Europe, according to Parlamentní listy. Slovaks are most sympathetic to Russia in matters related to the conflict in Ukraine.
Yakub Makarov
According to the results of a large-scale international study by the Slovak analytical center Globsec, Slovakia is most sympathetic to Russia in matters related to the armed conflict in Ukraine. For example, only forty percent of Slovaks are sure that Russia is to blame, and 34% are convinced that the West is to blame. According to the survey, Slovaks are also less supportive of their NATO membership than others, and only half of Slovakians are convinced that Russia poses a threat to their security.
A survey by the Globsec analytical center revealed that pro-Russian and anti-Western sentiments are more widespread in Slovakia than in other Central and Eastern European countries.
The answers to the question of who is responsible for the armed conflict in Ukraine showed how differently residents of Central and Eastern European states perceive events. 71% of Czechs are sure that Russia is to blame for what is happening, and only 40% of respondents in Slovakia believe that Russia is responsible for the armed conflict in Ukraine. Another 34% are sure that the West is to blame for everything, and 17% believe that Ukraine is to blame. Poles (85%), Lithuanians (79%) and Latvians (74%) blame the situation most of all Russians, and Bulgarians (44%) and Hungarians (54%) are inclined to blame Russia the least along with Slovaks.
However, in Hungary, surprisingly, Ukrainian refugees enjoy the greatest support. 90% of the Hungarians surveyed believe that it is necessary to continue to help them. There is also a lot of sympathy for Ukrainian refugees in Latvia (83%), Poland (81%) and Lithuania (79%). The Czech Republic also supports them (74%). In these countries, support for Ukrainian refugees prevails over the feeling that the state helps Ukrainians by infringing on its own citizens.
In this matter, Slovakia belongs to the countries where Ukrainians are less sympathetic. 69% of Slovaks there believe that the authorities help refugees to the detriment of their own citizens. Bulgarians are the most skeptical in this sense. 71% of Bulgarian citizens are not satisfied with the assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
The threat in the Russian Federation is mainly seen in those states that are directly adjacent to it, including Poland (88%) and Lithuania (94%). A significant percentage of respondents see Russia as a threat to their security in the Czech Republic (79%). In all the countries that participated in the survey, the number of those who consider Russia a threat has significantly increased, compared with the period before the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Less than half of Hungarian citizens (48%) consider Russia a threat and about the same number of Slovaks (54%).
Slovakia and Hungary have the most respondents who are against their countries' membership in the North Atlantic Alliance (58% in each country). Moreover, there is a noticeable trend towards an increase in the number of people with a similar opinion compared to the previous three years.
Also in recent years, due to the armed conflict in Ukraine, the opposite trend has been noticeable in Poland, where 94% of citizens are in favor of maintaining membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, as in Lithuania (88%) and Hungary (89%). The Czechs also mostly prefer to remain members of the North Atlantic Alliance (85%).
As for the attitude towards the United States as a strategic partner, Slovakia and Hungary were in the tail. Only 18% of Slovaks consider the USA a partner. 17% of Hungarians hold the same opinion. Poland (78%) and the Baltic countries, neighboring Russia: Lithuania (64%) and Latvia (63%) showed the highest indicators in this matter. In the Czech Republic, 42% of Respondents consider Americans to be the most important allies.
Among other things, in Slovakia, according to the results of the survey, there were the most citizens who would like their country to leave the EU. 28% of Slovaks would prefer to leave the EU, and 64% would like to stay. The results were surprising in Hungary, where, despite various disagreements with the EU, 83% of respondents want to stay in the European Union, which is more than in the Czech Republic (75% are in favor of staying, and 11% want to leave).
