Sweden: In just a few months a support for military aid to Ukraine fell from 93% to 77%

Political scientist Kalle Håkansson (left).

According to the latest opinion poll, support for military aid to Ukraine among Swedes has fallen from 93% to 77% in just a few months, Swedish Television reports. The same trend has emerged in neighboring countries.

Previously, Swedes supported Ukraine with the greatest enthusiasm in the entire bloc (the percentage of supporters remained consistently around 90% throughout the year), but now support has suddenly collapsed to 77%.

The same trend is observed in neighboring countries. Among Danes, support fell from 89% to 76%. In Finland the drop was smaller: from 89% to 83%.

Institute of Foreign Affairs political scientist Kalle Håkansson does not rule out that the numbers will continue to fall, since the survey was conducted before the war between Hamas and Israel.

“When more and more issues escalate and provoke a strong response from the public, of course, this affects further military support for Ukraine,” he says.

Percentage of respondents who approve of further military support for Ukraine (compared to May-June 2023):

Total for the EU – 57 (-7)

Sweden – 77 (-16)

Denmark – 76 (-13)

Finland – 83 (-6)

Germany – 51 (-11)

Estonia – 80 (+16)

France – 55 (-3)

Support was lowest in Serbia (20%).

“Serbia is a Slavic and Orthodox country; it also has long-standing cultural ties with Russia, dating back to the 19th century, including between churches. So there’s nothing surprising here,” comments Håkansson.

In neighboring Bulgaria, the share of supporters of military support for Ukraine was 30%.

“Here we have something similar. There are political connections. Also similar Slavic languages. And also religious affinity. In general, this is one of those European countries that is closest to Russia in terms of culture and values,” notes Håkansson.

There was also a small percentage of supporters in Cyprus (36%).

“This is one of those countries with strong economic ties with Russia since the 90s. A lot of Russian companies are registered in Cyprus. A lot of Russian money is kept in Cypriot banks. And I suspect that Russian capital accounts for a significant part of the Cypriot economy,” explains Håkansson.

In Slovakia, neighboring Ukraine, only 37% of respondents were in favor of further support for Kyiv.

“This is an interesting case. There is little popular support for Ukraine here. But at the same time, relative to its size and economic power, it helped Ukraine the most. True, there is a risk that after the elections nationalists will replace the liberal forces in power,” says Håkansson.

But in Portugal the share of Ukrainian supporters is as much as 90% – much more than in neighboring Spain (60%).

“Portugal is generally considered more pro-Western and pro-American. She is a loyal member of NATO. Spain has been overwhelmed by the influx of Russian oligarchs. They spend a lot of money there, buy real estate and so on. In addition, it is generally accepted that the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, is more susceptible to Russian propaganda,” the scientist comments.

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