Friendly and unfriendly countries, attitudes towards EU, NATO and UN

Ukrainian society continues to rethink global alliances and the geopolitical roles of states amid the ongoing war. A Gradus study shows that the map of Ukrainians’ sympathies and antipathies remains relatively stable, but noticeable changes are occurring within it. Some traditional allies maintain a high level of trust, while certain countries cause increasing skepticism.

European allies remain the core of the “friendly coalition”

Among the countries that Ukrainians most often call friendly, European partners consistently dominate. In 2026, the top five most friendly countries included Great Britain, Germany, the Baltic countries, France, and Poland.

TOP-10 friendly and unfriendly countries, 2026

Despite the overall stability of the list, a noticeable restraint is felt in the attitude towards some of them, which was absent in the first years of the full-scale war. This indicates a change in the logic of perception: from emotional gratitude to a more balanced assessment of each country’s role in supporting Ukraine.

At the same time, some countries demonstrate an increase in positive perception. This is most noticeable regarding the USA, where the share of those who consider the country friendly has more than doubled — from 13% to 29%. Against the backdrop of changes in the global political context and after a period of uncertainty at the beginning of the new political cycle in the USA, Ukrainians are increasingly returning this country to the circle of key allies. However, the level of trust in the USA still does not reach the figures of the beginning of the full-scale war, which indicates a certain caution in public assessments.

Countries friendly to Ukraine

“Unfriendly” countries: the anti-rating is almost unchanged

In the perception of Ukrainians, the list of unfriendly countries remains quite stable. Over the year, the anti-rating of most of these countries has even grown slightly. The share of those who call India unfriendly to Ukraine has also noticeably increased, from 10% to 21%.

Countries unfriendly to Ukraine

At the same time, the share of negative attitude towards the USA has sharply decreased — from 30% to 13%, which once again emphasizes the general trend towards revising the assessments of this country.

Reassessment of the role of global institutions

The attitude of Ukrainians towards international organizations demonstrates a separate dynamic. Ukrainians rate the European Union most positively. However, compared to 2024, the share of positive assessments has slightly decreased.

Attitude towards international organizations

In the case of NATO, public opinion remains positive, but more polarized: 38% positive assessments and 37% negative.

The most difficult reputational situation is observed with the UN: only 23% rate the organization positively, and 54% negatively. This is one of the highest levels of distrust among international institutions, reflecting disappointment in the effectiveness of global security mechanisms.

Sociologist, founder, and CEO of Gradus Evgeniya Bliznyuk explains that Ukrainians are gradually moving from an emotional perception of international politics to a more pragmatic analysis: “Over the years of the full-scale war, Ukrainian society has formed a fairly clear map of international roles. It has a stable core of countries perceived as allies, and a group of states associated with supporting Russia or having a distanced position regarding the war. At the same time, we see a gradual rationalization of assessments: people look more closely at specific political decisions, volumes of support, and real actions. That is why some of the indicators are changing — even in attitudes towards traditional partners.”

Overall, the results of the study indicate that Ukrainians increasingly distinguish the geopolitical roles of states and demonstrate a more critical attitude towards international institutions from which they expected security guarantees.

The study was conducted by the research company Gradus using the method of self-completion of a questionnaire in the Gradus mobile application. Target audience: men and women aged 18–60 living in Ukrainian cities with a population of over 50,000, excluding temporarily occupied territories and active combat zones. Survey period: February 13-16, 2026. Sample size: 1,000 respondents.