Business news from Ukraine

The Netherlands continues to enjoy one of the highest levels of positive perception among Ukrainians: in August 2026, a total of 71.3% of respondents expressed a positive attitude toward the country, while only 1.6% expressed a negative one. Compared to March, the share of positive assessments declined slightly, but the net sentiment remains one of the highest among the countries surveyed, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center. Experts.news

According to the results of the August survey, 28.4% of Ukrainians have a completely positive attitude toward the Netherlands, and 42.9% have a mostly positive attitude. A neutral stance is held by 26.4% of respondents. 1.4% view the country mostly negatively, only 0.2% view it entirely negatively, and another 0.8% were undecided.

The net balance of positive and negative assessments, based on rounded figures, stands at plus 69.7 percentage points. Based on this indicator, the Netherlands ranks among the countries with the most favorable public perception among Ukrainians, trailing only Canada and Sweden in the overall ranking.

A previous survey conducted in March 2026 also showed a very high level of favorability. At that time, 34.3% of respondents viewed the Netherlands entirely positively, 38.5% viewed it mostly positively, and 24.2% held a neutral position. In the aggregated results, the share of positive assessments was reported at 72.7%, while negative assessments accounted for only 1.2%.

Thus, between March and August, the overall share of positive assessments decreased by approximately 1.4 percentage points. At the same time, the structure of positive attitudes changed more noticeably: the share of entirely positive responses decreased by 5.9 percentage points, while that of mostly positive responses increased by 4.4 percentage points. The share of neutral assessments increased by approximately 2.2 percentage points. Overall, these changes do not indicate a significant deterioration in attitudes—the negative segment remains minimal.

Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, had previously highlighted the stability of the Netherlands’ positive image. He attributed the high ratings to the country’s consistent stance and a nature of engagement that is understandable to Ukrainian society. In his view, stable indicators across several survey waves are more important than minor fluctuations between individual measurements.

This positive public perception is also coupled with trade figures that are favorable to Ukraine. In the first half of 2026, trade with the Netherlands totaled approximately $1.82 billion, with Ukrainian exports exceeding $1 billion and a trade surplus for Ukraine of about $221.5 million.

Thus, the Netherlands remains an example of a country where a high level of public support is combined with its important role as a market for Ukrainian exports. A slight decline in the positive rating compared to March does not currently change the overall picture: only a small portion of respondents view the country negatively.