Distrust of Trump and protests against peace terms: key insights into Ukrainian public sentiment
The share of Ukrainians who trust the US has decreased sharply, according to a study by Info Sapiens, commissioned by the New Europe Centre, conducted between 5 and 26 November 2025.
The survey also shows that Ukrainians understand the importance of European integration for domestic change and are ready to endure possible negative economic consequences associated with preparations for EU membership.
It also records distrust toward peace initiatives. Among the most unacceptable concessions are reducing the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, legally recognising the occupied territories as Russian, and granting Russian the status of a state language.
Read more about the key findings of this important study in the article by Yurii Panchenko, European Pravda editor: There is worse Than Trump. How Ukrainians’ trust in world leaders has changed, and what this means for EU and NATO.
The key change over the past year is a growingly critical attitude toward the United States and its support.
The reasons for this shift are obvious: the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine and the promotion of "peace initiatives" that look more like a list of Kremlin demands.
72.7% of Ukrainians said they did not trust Trump, placing the US president among the lowest-ranked figures in terms of public trust in Ukraine.
Close behind are China's leader Xi Jinping at 81.1%, Fico at 63.4%, and Nawrocki at 50.9%.
Meanwhile, the top three figures in terms of distrust among Ukrainians are the leaders of aggressor states: Vladimir Putin at 98%, Alexander Lukashenko at 93.8%, and Viktor Orbán at 83%.
The undisputed leader in the growth of Ukrainians’ positive attitudes is German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The decline in trust in the United States, along with Donald Trump’s statements that Ukraine will never become a member of NATO, has also pulled down trust in the Alliance itself (from 64.4% to 53.7% over the year).
Despite this, NATO is still seen as a critically important component of Ukraine’s Western course. Therefore, the drop in trust in the Alliance has not affected support for membership (71.3%).
Ukrainians consider a "nuclear umbrella" (preferably their own) to be the most reliable security guarantee.
The willingness of European leaders to continue supporting Ukraine despite the US "pivot" has predictably led to increased trust both in the EU as a whole and in its key politicians.
Overall, trust in the EU has risen over the year from 69.2% to 72.1%.
Of course, there is also an understanding that military assistance from Europe is insufficient.
At the same time, 85.5% of Ukrainians support Ukraine’s membership in the EU.
On the negative side, the share of those who believe that Ukraine will never become an EU member has increased from 13% to 15.2%.
Support for European integration also implies a readiness to make certain sacrifices.
67.5% of Ukrainians say that even if the European integration process is accompanied by rising prices and additional administrative procedures, this will not affect their support for the European course.
The issue that unites Ukrainians even more strongly than support for EU accession is distrust of Russia.