Ukrainians have the most positive attitude toward Germany, the UK, Norway, and France, while Hungary, China, Iraq, and Serbia are among the countries with the worst ratings. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center at the end of August.
“We conducted a representative survey of 800 respondents at the end of August, taking into account gender, age, and region of residence. The margin of error does not exceed 3.5%. This is not the first study of this type, but this time we selected 50 countries based on economic criteria – we asked about the countries with which Ukraine trades the most,” said sociologist and founder of Active Group Andriy Yeremenko at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday.
According to him, the study showed that public opinion is clearly divided between Western countries and countries outside the West.
“Ukrainians most often associate the achievement of peace with the European Union – 42% of respondents believe this. The United States is supported by almost 26% of respondents, and the United Kingdom by 13%. Other large countries, such as China, India, and Brazil, are not really considered to be contributing to a peaceful settlement in Ukraine,” Yeremenko emphasized.
Alexander Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group, added that in economic terms, Ukraine’s key partners are China, Poland, Germany, Turkey, and the United States.
“At the same time, attitudes toward them vary greatly. For example, more than 76% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward Germany, while only 12% have a positive attitude toward China, and 40% have a negative attitude. The case of Hungary is even more critical, with 16% having a positive attitude and 55% having a negative attitude,” he said.
Maksym Urakyn, founder of Experts Club and deputy director general of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, drew attention to economic imbalances in Ukraine’s trade with its leading partners.
“In the first half of 2025, Ukraine’s foreign trade deficit amounted to $18.5 billion, while in 2024 it was $12.4 billion. In other words, we have a significant deterioration. In particular, the negative balance exceeded $7 billion in trade with China alone, $2 billion with Germany, over $1 billion with Poland, and about $2 billion with the United States,” the expert emphasized.
He clarified that Ukraine remains a powerful exporter of agricultural products—grains, oilseeds, metals—while imports from the EU and China consist mainly of machinery, equipment, transport, electronics, and chemicals.
“This once again confirms the need for profound structural changes in the economy and diversification of foreign economic relations. We cannot continue to depend on a narrow circle of suppliers,” Urakin noted.
At the same time, according to the expert, sociological data demonstrate a certain paradox.
“The most economically advantageous partners for us are Egypt, Spain, Moldova, Algeria, Lebanon, and Iraq. But Ukrainians’ attitude toward most of these countries is neutral or even negative. This indicates that society forms its assessments not on the basis of economic benefits, but mainly on the basis of political statements or events,” he added.
Urakin concluded that this discrepancy between the economy and public opinion could have long-term consequences for Ukraine’s foreign policy.
“The representative offices of foreign countries that are Ukraine’s trading partners should pay more attention to working with Ukrainian society, holding cultural events, supporting humanitarian projects, and forming a positive image. Otherwise, we will continue to have a situation where the country is an important trading partner, but at the same time is perceived negatively by the majority of citizens,” emphasized the founder of Experts Club.
Learn more about the study
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/1103619.html
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, Pozniy, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, URAKIN, Єременко
Ukraine received another tranche of macro-financial assistance from the European Union in the amount of EUR1 billion under the ERA Loans program, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said
“This tranche is financed from the proceeds of frozen assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. This is more than aid — it is a clear signal: Europe is resolutely strengthening Ukraine’s defense and resilience against massive missile attacks and attempts at destabilization,” Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Finance reminded that a total of EUR 10 billion has already been raised from the European Union as part of the ERA initiative, and Ukraine is expected to receive the remaining EUR 8.1 billion from the EU in installments by the end of 2025.
The prime minister thanked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis for their leadership and steadfastness.
“These funds mean saved lives, rebuilt cities, and a secure European future for Ukraine,” she emphasized.
The ERA provides for $50 billion to be allocated to Ukraine, which will be secured by future revenues from Russia’s frozen assets. The EU’s contribution amounts to EUR18.1 billion (EUR20 billion).
In March this year, European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis announced that the EU plans to allocate EUR 30.5 billion to Ukraine this year, including EUR 12.5 billion under the Ukraine Facility program and EUR 18 billion under the ERA mechanism: the first EUR 3 billion was allocated in January, EUR 1 billion per month in March-November, and EUR 6 billion in December.
The IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program provides for Ukraine to receive $39.4 billion under the ERA mechanism this year, following $1 billion last year.
According to the Ministry of Finance, since February 2022, the European Union has been the largest provider of direct budgetary assistance to Ukraine – EUR 58.5 billion for priority state budget expenditures, including over EUR 16.5 billion for the first eight months of 2025.
Within the framework of cooperation with the Howard Buffett Foundation, Ukrzaliznytsia JSC has signed contracts for almost $6 mln for the purchase of modern industrial equipment, said the head of the company’s Repair and Manufacturing division, Yevhen Shramko, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
The purchase includes 22 units of lathes and milling machines, thermal units and other equipment necessary for the production of critical components previously imported from abroad.
Over the past seven days, 2,651 newborns have been officially registered in Ukraine.
According to the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, 1,347 of the newborns are boys and 1,304 are girls.
As reported, last week 2,940 newborns were registered in Ukraine, and the week before that, 2,870.
In 2024, 176,679 babies were born in Ukraine, which is an average of less than 3,400 per week. The birth rate in Ukraine in 2024 was 5.8% lower than in 2023, when 187,300 children were born.
In the first eight months of 2025, imports of nickel and nickel products fell by 22% to $14.515 million (in August – $2.069 million).
Nickel exports during this period amounted to $746,000, compared to $508,000 a year earlier; there were no deliveries in August.
Nickel is used in the production of stainless steel and for nickel plating. Nickel is also used in the production of batteries, in powder metallurgy, and in chemical reagents.
In early September, the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC) registered the issue of series “B” bonds by Galka Trading House LLC (Lviv), a subsidiary of coffee and coffee products manufacturer Galka, in the amount of UAH 50 million.
According to information in the NSSMC register, the nominal value of the bonds is UAH 1,000, but information on the term of circulation and yield rate is not yet available.
The audit report for the first quarter states that at the end of March this year, as at the end of last year, bonds of the debut issue of TD Galka series “A” with a total nominal value of UAH 45.004 million were in circulation, while the issuer’s account had UAH 4.996 million.
The decision to issue new bonds without a public offering for another UAH 50 million was made by the participants on June 18 this year.
The Ukrainian-English joint venture Galka LLC (until 2004 – Galka Ltd.) was founded on the basis of the Lviv coffee factory. It is engaged in the production and sale of coffee, coffee products and coffee substitutes, and tea under the Galka trademark. It owns 90% of Galka Trading House LLC, and the remaining 10% is owned by Galinvest PZNFI under the management of Western Investment Group AMC.
According to the audit report, the ultimate beneficiaries of TD Galka through the Dutch company Nedinvestment B.V. are Volodymyr Pasternak – 25.42%, Yuriy Dubovoy and Yaroslav Volynets – 20.91% each, and their children Oleg and Andriy, who received 4.51% each in the period after November 2021, as well as Dutch citizen Jan Lavoie François with a 13.74% stake.
In the first quarter of 2025, TD Galka reduced its net profit by 10.2% to UAH 9.99 million, while its revenue increased by 64.2% to UAH 254.38 million.
In 2024, the company increased its net profit by 48.3% to UAH 56.65 million and its revenue by 17.2% to UAH 766.30 million.
According to its 2024 report, the parent company had five bond issues maturing in 2030-2034 with a total value of UAH 212.13 million.
The parent company’s net profit in 2024 increased by 36.2% to UAH 49.84 million, and revenue by 7.7% to UAH 86,186.3 million.
