Poll: majority of Ukrainians consider support for the Defence Forces a top priority

The majority of Ukrainian citizens believe that the key priority for society should be to support the Defence Forces and repel Russian aggression.

These are the findings of a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in the first half of February 2025, before the US-Russia talks and the deterioration in relations between Ukraine and the United States.

According to the survey, 60% of Ukrainians believe that the main task for the public is to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine and fight Russian aggression. At the same time, 26% of respondents stressed that the primary issue should be the fight against the government's missteps, and another 14% were undecided on their position.

The sociologists stressed that the results should be viewed in the context of the political situation that has changed since the poll was conducted. In their opinion, further developments and growing international pressure on Ukraine are likely to have further strengthened support for the Defence Forces among Ukrainians.

KIIS Executive Director Anton Hrushetskyi noted that there is still a high demand for unity among the population, especially given the complication of relations with the US leadership.

«Although we asked about the public, it is obvious that this is a requirement for everyone — the government, the opposition, civil society activists and journalists, and ordinary citizens,» he said.

He also called for prudence in the actions of all political and public forces, noting that the main goal should remain support for Ukraine's defence capability.

«Love for Ukraine should be stronger than the destructive desire for personal revenge against those to whom we feel (even if rightly) hostile. And this applies not only to the opposition, but also to the government and all of us,» Anton Hrushetskyi stressed.

The survey was conducted by KIIS on 4-9 February 2025 by telephone interviews based on a random sample of numbers. A total of 1,000 respondents aged 18 and older were interviewed in all regions under the control of Ukraine.

Residents of the temporarily occupied territories were not included in the sample, but internally displaced persons were among the respondents. The survey also did not cover citizens who moved abroad after 24 February 2022.

The statistical error under normal circumstances does not exceed:

• 4.1% — for indicators close to 50%,
• 3.5% — for indicators close to 25%,
• 2.5% — for indicators close to 10%,
• 1.8% — for indicators close to 5%.

In addition, in February 2025, the poll showed that 64% of Ukrainians support direct negotiations with Russia, which is 28% more than a year ago.