In April 2025, Active Group, in collaboration with the Experts Club think tank and the SunFlower Sociology platform, conducted a survey on the attitudes of Ukrainian citizens toward Central Asian and Caucasian countries. The results show a predominantly neutral or moderately positive perception of the region, with Georgia and Kazakhstan as clear leaders in terms of favorability.
Georgia received the largest share of positive ratings: 16.8% of Ukrainians said they had a completely positive attitude, and another 37.0% said they were mostly positive. Together, this forms a positive balance of 40%. Kazakhstan has a similar level of sympathy: 11.6% completely positive, 34.2% mostly positive, with a net balance of 41.9%. Azerbaijan ranks third with a total positive rating of 42.4%, although neutral assessments significantly prevail there — 45.4%.
In contrast, the countries of Central Asia are dominated by neutral responses: 63.4%, 64.3%, 66.4%, and 61.3% in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, respectively. All of them have a balance of sympathy below 12%, and Turkmenistan even shows zero support (-0.2%), mainly due to low awareness.
On the other hand, 8.4% have a completely positive attitude towards Armenia and 29.9% have a mostly positive attitude, putting it in fourth place with a balance of 35.5%.
“Despite their shared Soviet heritage, Ukrainian society views Central Asian countries mostly through the prism of caution or indifference. At the same time, the examples of Georgia and Kazakhstan demonstrate that close intergovernmental ties and a positive media presence can significantly influence public opinion,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Thus, the study’s conclusions indicate that in a region with potential for interaction with Ukraine, the key factor is not only historical memory, but also contemporary diplomatic and cultural activity.
The results of the latest sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club analytical center and the SunFlower Sociology platform show that Ukrainians generally have a cautious or wary attitude toward Arab and Muslim countries. The survey covered 800 respondents in April 2025.
The most positive attitude among those surveyed was toward Turkey — 6% of Ukrainians expressed a completely positive attitude, and another 40.4% — mostly positive. The overall positive balance is 34.4%. Israel was the second most popular country among Ukrainians, with 9% of respondents expressing a completely positive attitude and 33.1% expressing a mostly positive attitude, although the positive balance here is slightly lower at 28.2%.
Next in terms of favorability are the United Arab Emirates (with a total positive rating of 24.9%) and Saudi Arabia (15.7%). It should be noted that almost 69% of Ukrainians took a neutral position on Saudi Arabia, which is one of the highest figures among all countries surveyed.
As for Egypt, Qatar, Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria, and Kuwait, neutral or indifferent assessments dominate, with a positive balance ranging from 6.5% to -3.6%. Attitudes toward Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and Iran are even more critical, with negative views outweighing positive ones by tens of percentage points. For example, Iran has the lowest score, with only 2.2% of responses being entirely positive, 7.2% mostly positive, and a full 30.1% negative, giving a net balance of -55.9%. The situation is similar for Iraq (-34.2%) and Palestine (-32.1%).
“Mass neutrality, and in some cases open negativity, towards many Muslim countries indicates a lack of information links, as well as an ambiguous perception of the role of these states in global politics. Against this backdrop, Turkey and Israel have the opportunity to strengthen humanitarian and economic ties with Ukraine,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Thus, the data emphasizes that the depth of ties and real actions of countries in times of trial determine the level of public trust in Ukraine — even in geographically remote regions.
Ukrainian citizens demonstrate the highest level of sympathy toward Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. These are the results of a study conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club think tank and the SunFlower Sociology platform in April 2025. Canada came out on top in terms of positive image: 40.6% of Ukrainians expressed a completely positive attitude, with another 35.7% expressing a mostly positive attitude. The overall positive balance was a record 73.5%.
The United Kingdom ranks second with a total positive rating of 68.6%. Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands are also at the top of the ranking with similarly high levels of positive perception — over 68% of the total positive rating.
France and Germany remain strong, but their positions are less clear-cut. In France, the share of “mostly positive” attitudes is particularly high at 47.7%, although only 26.4% view it as “completely positive.” In Germany, 23.7% of respondents indicated a completely positive attitude, but the level of distrust has increased, with 7.9% of Ukrainians assessing it negatively.
The US elicited a mixed reaction: only 6.7% of Ukrainians rated this country completely positively, while 26.5% expressed a negative attitude. The image balance in the US is one of the lowest among Western partners — only 5.3%. Ukrainians showed a similar level of disappointment with Central European countries: Hungary has the worst image of all, with only 4.1% of completely positive responses and as many as 47.7% negative, giving a net image balance of -43.6%. Slovakia also has a negative rating of -14.8%.
“These results are not only a reflection of public opinion, but also a benchmark for diplomatic activity. Countries with high levels of support have the best conditions for strengthening bilateral ties with Ukraine in the humanitarian, security, and economic spheres,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Overall, the survey results clearly demonstrate that international support for Ukraine in difficult times directly shapes citizens’ trust. Ukrainians’ attitudes are not only based on historical or cultural ties, but also depend to a large extent on the specific actions of foreign states during the war.
On May 22, Ukrtransnafta (Kyiv) announced a tender for liability insurance for business entities and other legal entities that use high-risk facilities for damage that may be caused as a result of emergencies.
According to a notice in the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the expected cost of the services is UAH 693,760 thousand.
Documents will be accepted until June 2.
Ukrtransnafta, 100% of whose shares are managed by Naftogaz of Ukraine, is the operator of the country’s oil transportation system.
The Trump Organization and a local partner are exploring plans to build a skyscraper in Vietnam’s business hub of Ho Chi Minh City, with Eric Trump expected to visit this week, a Vietnamese government document seen by Reuters shows.
The visit by the son of U.S. President Donald Trump comes just after Vietnam gave his family business the green light for a separate $1.5-billion golf project as the export-reliant southeast Asian nation holds talks with Washington to avoid punitive trade tariffs.
Ho Chi Minh City officials are invited to “attend a dinner party with Eric Trump, senior vice president of the Trump Organization” set for Thursday evening at a central hotel in the city, according to the internal document.
The May 15 document, signed by the acting head of the foreign ministry department in the city, said representatives of the Trump Organization would visit an upscale central area.
There they would “survey the proposed location of the Trump Tower building and hope to have a working session with the city’s leaders about this project”, it added, inviting local authorities to cooperate with the business delegation.
The Trump Organization is run by Trump’s children after he handed off its leadership after he won his first term as U.S. president.
Another meeting between Ho Chi Minh City authorities and a representative of the venture between the Trump Organization and its Vietnamese partner, real estate developer Kinhbac City (KBC.HM)
, opens new tab, is set for later on Monday, the document showed.
Both meetings are confirmed in a public schedule published on Monday on the Ho Chi Minh City website, which does not, however, elaborate on their content or name the participants.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry, the Trump Organization and Kinhbac City did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
With the skyscraper plan in an early stage, it is unclear if it will be pursued by the Trump Organization and if authorities will approve it.
MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR PLANS
Vietnam faces tariffs of 46% on its exports to the United States if it cannot strike a compromise with the White House before a pause on global “reciprocal” duties expires in July.
It has made pledges to Washington to avoid tariffs, from lowering tariffs and non-tariff barriers, combating trade frauds and counterfeiting, and offering favourable conditions to Starlink, owned by Trump’s close ally Elon Musk, to roll out internet services in the country.
The plan for the Trump delegation’s visit, which could change, comes after Vietnam approved last week a plan by the Trump Organization and Kinhbac City to invest $1.5 billion in golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in its north.
A person with direct knowledge confirmed Eric Trump’s visit to Vietnam this week and said the groundbreaking ceremony for the golf project in northern Vietnam was set for Wednesday.
The person declined to be identified as the events were still being organised.
In March, Reuters reported that the groundbreaking event was set for May, and that the Trump Organization and its local partner were also seeking additional projects in the country.
Although they are considering multi-billion-dollar investments in Vietnam, it is unclear how the two share costs and revenues, and what conditions have been set for use of the Trump franchise.
The Trump Organization has luxury golf projects, existing or under development, in countries from Indonesia to the Middle East.
Ho Chi Minh City, plan for tower, Trump Organization, VIETNAM
Ukrzaliznytsia in 2024 reduced its operating profit from freight transportation by 2.3% compared to 2023 – to UAH 20.39 billion, while its operating loss from intercity, international, and suburban passenger transportation increased by 15.4% – to UAH 15.70 billion. According to the annual report available to Interfax-Ukraine, revenue from freight transportation last year increased by 10.3% to UAH 81.8 billion, while revenue from passenger transportation increased by 14.8% to UAH 10.67 billion.
As stated in the document, the largest operating profit in freight transportation was generated by the infrastructure component, which amounted to UAH 13.3 billion, up 8.3% from the previous year.
At the same time, the operating result of the rolling stock component decreased by 11.7% to UAH 6.93 billion, while that of the locomotive component fell almost fivefold to UAH 0.15 billion.
As for passenger transportation, the operating loss from intercity and international passenger transportation last year amounted to UAH 8.81 billion with revenue of UAH 10.67 billion, while suburban transportation lost UAH 9.31 billion with revenue of UAH 0.52 billion. In 2023, intercity and international passenger transportation brought an operating loss of UAH 7.46 billion with revenue of UAH 9.30 billion, while suburban transportation brought an operating loss of UAH 8.24 billion with revenue of UAH 0.56 billion.
Ukrzaliznytsia added that the operating result from auxiliary activities in 2024 amounted to UAH 2.99 billion, which is 3.7% less than the previous year, with revenue from these activities growing by 15.3% to UAH 9.78 billion.
In the report, the company noted that it is continuing its operational transformation and believes that further division into infrastructure, locomotive, and car components in the freight transportation segment, as well as disclosure of the infrastructure, locomotive, and car components in the intercity and international passenger transportation segment, is necessary for analyzing the company’s performance and further reorganization.
As reported, in 2024, the company increased its revenue by 11.1% to UAH 102.87 billion, but incurred a net loss of UAH 2.71 billion against a net profit of UAH 5.04 billion in 2023.
According to the Ministry of Economy, Ukrzaliznytsia provides more than 80% of freight and about 36% of passenger transportation within the country. The company is the largest employer in Ukraine with more than 190,000 employees and operates one of the largest railway networks in Europe, stretching over 19,000 km, of which more than 9,300 km are electrified. Ukrzaliznytsia has more than 1,400 stations and a significant fleet of locomotives, freight and passenger cars.
