Business news from Ukraine

Syrian is perceived by Ukrainians as mostly neutral, but still with a noticeable share of negative assessments, despite the change in military and political leadership. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club analytical center in April 2025.

According to the data, 7.5% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward Syria (5.4% — mostly positive, 2.1% — completely positive), while 29.5% express a negative opinion (23.6% — mostly negative, 6.0% — completely negative). 53.1% of respondents said they had a neutral attitude, and 9.9% were undecided.

“The high level of neutrality combined with a significant share of negative attitudes indicates the complexity of perceptions of Syria in Ukrainian society. The change of the Assad regime has significantly reduced this negativity, but Syria’s overall image remains ambiguous,” commented Alexander Pozniy, co-founder of Active Group, on the results.

The presentation of the study is available at the link.

A survey conducted by Active Group and Experts Club shows that 58.1% of Ukrainians have a neutral attitude toward Saudi Arabia, while another 7.1% were unable to give a clear answer. This indicates a lack of deep emotional associations with this country in the mass consciousness.

At the same time, 25.2% of respondents have a generally positive attitude toward Saudi Arabia (21.9% — mostly positive, 3.4% — completely positive). A negative attitude was expressed by 9.5% of respondents (7.5% — mostly negative, 2.1% — completely negative).

“Saudi Arabia is associated with wealth, oil resources, and cutting-edge technological megaprojects. However, at the same time, cultural distance, limited rights, and a closed society create a mixed perception. The positive attitude is primarily due to the country’s active peacemaking position in the war,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.

The neutral and cautious attitude of Ukrainians towards Saudi Arabia shows that the country’s economic attractiveness does not always outweigh cultural stereotypes and a lack of deep contacts.

The presentation of the study is available at the link.

Qatar is perceived by Ukrainians as mostly neutral, although there is a noticeable positive trend. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club think tank in April 2025.

Thus, 13.1% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude towards Qatar (11.0% — mostly positive, 2.1% — completely positive), while 6.7% express a negative opinion (5.0% — mostly negative, 1.7% — completely negative). At the same time, 69.0% of respondents remain neutral, and 11.2% abstained from answering.

“The high level of neutrality indicates limited awareness of Qatar among Ukrainians, but the existing positive trend creates opportunities for the development of bilateral relations,” said Oleksandr Pozniy, co-founder of Active Group.

These results open up prospects for deepening humanitarian, cultural, and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Qatar.

The presentation of the study is available at the link.

Lebanon evokes a predominantly neutral, but somewhat cautious attitude among Ukrainian citizens. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by Active Group in cooperation with the Experts Club think tank in April 2025.

According to the survey, 65.8% of Ukrainians expressed a neutral position towards Lebanon. Only 5.2% of respondents spoke positively about the country (3.7% mostly positive, 1.5% completely positive), while 19.4% expressed a negative attitude (16.4% mostly negative, 3.0% completely negative). Another 9.5% of respondents were unable to answer.

“Ukrainian society perceives Lebanon through the prism of regional instability and religious and political conflicts in the Middle East. This affects the country’s image in the information field,” said Oleksandr Pozniy, co-founder of Active Group.

These data demonstrate both the insufficient level of contact between the two countries and the influence of global stereotypes on public perception.

The presentation of the study is available at the link.

Kuwait remains a country with limited influence on public opinion in Ukraine. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in April 2025 in cooperation with the Experts Club think tank.

According to the survey, 71.8% of Ukrainians have a neutral attitude toward Kuwait. Only 8.0% of respondents had a positive attitude (6.2% mostly positive, 1.9% completely positive), while 10.1% expressed a negative opinion (7.3% mostly negative, 2.8% completely negative). Another 10.1% of respondents were unable to answer.

“Attitudes toward Kuwait are not clearly formed due to the lack of public manifestations of cooperation, assistance, or cultural presence of this country in Ukraine,” said Maxim Urakin, founder of Experts Club.

This creates potential for Kuwait to make itself known in Ukraine through diplomatic, investment, or humanitarian initiatives, if such a goal is set by the state.

The presentation of the study is available at the link.