Despite strategic partnership and large-scale support during the war, Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the US are becoming increasingly complex and ambiguous. This is evidenced by the results of a nationwide poll conducted by Active Group in conjunction with the Experts Club information and analytical center in April 2025.
According to the survey, 36.1% of Ukrainian citizens have a generally positive view of the United States (29.3% mostly positive, 6.7% completely positive). At the same time, 29.9% of respondents have a negative attitude (25.8% mostly negative, 4.1% completely negative). Another third — 31.2% — remain neutral, and 2.8% were unable to give a definite answer.
“For many Ukrainians, the US is still a guarantor of support, but it is also a country with an ambivalent role in global conflicts, which can cause mixed reactions in society,” said Experts Club founder Maxim Urakin.
“These data show that Ukrainians recognize the important role of the US in supporting our country during the war, but at the same time remain critical of Washington’s current actions in global politics,” said Alexander Pozniy, co-founder of Active Group.
The poll was part of a broader study examining Ukrainians’ international sympathies and antipathies in the context of contemporary geopolitics.
The study can be found at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
Against the backdrop of growing tensions between India and Pakistan, a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club highlights Ukrainians’ views on how they see our country’s diplomatic position in the event of an escalation of the conflict between these two nuclear powers.
According to the poll, the vast majority of Ukrainians — 90.3% — are in favor of Ukraine taking a neutral position in the event of a full-scale Indo-Pakistani war. This shows that people want diplomatic restraint on issues that don’t directly affect national interests.
Only 8% of respondents expressed support for some form of support for India (4.7% — full support, 3.3% — partial support). As for Pakistan, only 1.6% supported this country (0.3% — partial support, 1.3% — full support for Pakistan’s position).
These results echo Ukrainians’ broader perceptions of these two countries. According to separate surveys
26.7% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward India, while 55.3% are neutral.
26.7% have a positive attitude toward Pakistan, while 55.3% are neutral.
“The predominance of neutrality in the choice of diplomatic course towards India and Pakistan indicates a low level of inclusion of the topic in Ukraine’s information space. At the same time, this is a sign of a mature approach to foreign policy in the eyes of citizens,” notes Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Despite the fact that some respondents show moderate sympathy for India, the vast majority of Ukrainian citizens adhere to a position of non-interference. This may indicate a high level of awareness of armed conflicts outside their own region.
The Experts Club think tank has analyzed the state of the French economy and provided its forecasts for the whole of 2025. At the beginning of 2025, the French economy is showing signs of slowing down due to internal and external factors, including the escalation of trade disputes with the United States.
Current economic indicators
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), France’s GDP grew by 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, following a 0.1% decline in the fourth quarter of 2024. This modest growth was mainly driven by inventory accumulation in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and agro-industrial sectors, which added 0.5 percentage points to GDP. However, domestic demand remains weak, with consumer spending stagnating and business investment declining by 0.1%. Foreign trade also had a negative impact, reducing growth by 0.4 percentage points due to a 0.7% decline in exports and a 0.4% increase in imports.
Impact of US trade tariffs
The introduction of new tariffs by the administration of US President Donald Trump, including a 25% duty on cars, steel, and aluminum, is putting significant pressure on France’s export-oriented industries. Companies such as Airbus are looking for ways to circumvent these tariffs, for example by delivering aircraft to US airlines via third countries.
The French government has lowered its economic growth forecast for 2025 from 0.9% to 0.7%, citing uncertainty in global trade. The Bank of France has also confirmed this forecast, noting that growth remains positive but is slowing compared to previous years.
Forecast for the end of 2025
Economists expect France’s economic growth to remain weak in the second half of 2025, with a possible improvement in 2026. The main risk factors remain ongoing trade disputes with the US and domestic political uncertainties. However, France is committed to maintaining economic stability through fiscal measures and stimulating domestic demand.
FDI McDonald’s Ukraine Ltd., which develops the McDonald’s fast food chain in Ukraine, has announced that one of its most popular items, the Big Tasty, will be removed from the menu.
“Big Tasty is going away. Thank you for loving it as much as we did,” the brand said on its social media pages.
At the request of theInterfax-Ukraineagency, the company explained that this decision was due to menu changes. “McDonald’s Ukraine is adapting the menu to introduce new, even more interesting offers, which we will announce soon,” the press service said.
The period of complete withdrawal from the menu will depend on the number of orders, i.e., as soon as the kitchen runs out of ingredients, the Big Tasty sales will stop.
The first McDonald’s restaurant in Ukraine was opened on May 24, 1997 in Kyiv. Currently, 109 restaurants operate in 36 locations across the country, with 15 more closed due to security requirements.
According to Opendatabot, McDonald’s in Ukraine in 2024 increased its revenue by 30% to UAH 16.8 billion and net profit by 23.2% to UAH 1.6 billion.
The owner of FDI in McDonald’s Ukraine Ltd. is MCD Europe Limited (100%, London, UK).
At the same time, a number of experts warn of possible problems for the human body when eating fast food. More information about this can be found on the Experts Club channel
In April, the sociological company Active Group, in collaboration with the information and analytical center Experts Club, conducted a public opinion poll on Ukrainians’ international sympathies. The survey was conducted online among 800 respondents representative of their age, gender, and region. The aim of the survey was to find out which countries enjoy the greatest trust and sympathy in Ukrainian society.
“This survey confirms the general trend in public sentiment in Ukraine, which has intensified since the start of the large-scale war. Ukrainians clearly associate the support they have received, primarily from the European Union and the United Kingdom, with a positive attitude towards them,” said Alexander Pozniy, co-founder of Active Group, at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.
According to the survey, Ukrainians have the most positive opinion of the United Kingdom, with a total of 77.2% of respondents giving positive answers, followed by Canada (76.3%) and France (74%). It is particularly noteworthy that only 1.1% of respondents had a completely negative opinion of France. Germany currently has the support of 68.8% of Ukrainians. According to Oleksandr Pozniy, the high level of trust in this country is primarily determined by its long-term support for Ukrainian reforms and the defense industry, its policy towards Ukrainian refugees, and other initiatives.
Ukrainians have a rather moderately positive attitude toward the United States: 36.1% of respondents view the US positively, while another 31.2% hold a neutral position. On the other hand, almost a third (29.9%) have a negative view of the country. According to experts, these results indicate a deep polarization in the perception of the US within Ukraine, caused by changes in American policy after the new administration came to power.
“For many Ukrainians, the US is still a guarantor of support, but it is also a country with an ambivalent role in global conflicts, which can cause mixed reactions in society,” said Maxim Urakin, founder of the Experts Club.
Ukrainians are quite critical of Hungary (56% negative attitude) and Slovakia (34.6% negative).
“These results are not surprising — the official rhetoric of Budapest and Bratislava often diverges from Ukraine’s interests and is perceived as pro-Russian, which cannot but be reflected in public opinion,” commented Oleksandr Pozniy.
The situation with China is no better: 42.8% of Ukrainians have a negative opinion of this country, while only 19.6% view it positively. At the same time, 27.6% chose a neutral response.
“It is particularly interesting that even Ukraine’s economically important partners, such as China (its largest trading partner), receive low support ratings among Ukrainians. This indicates that Ukrainian society values moral support above real trade and does not recognize “neutrality” if it is not accompanied by humanitarian gestures,” said Maxim Urakin.
There is a high level of trust in Japan: 66% of respondents have a positive attitude, while only 3.6% have a negative attitude. Japan is perceived as a country with a high cultural reputation and technological leadership. South Korea also has a positive attitude from 49.7% of Ukrainians, although the level of negativity here is slightly higher at 14%.
Turkey, despite partnership projects (particularly in the field of drones), has a rather ambiguous perception: 46.4% of respondents have a positive attitude towards it, while 12% have a negative attitude.
Ukrainians have a favorable view of Brazil, with 33.3% positive and 9.3% negative, while their attitude toward other Latin American countries is mostly neutral. According to Oleksandr Pozniy, this indicates neutral interest rather than a clearly formed position.
As for Saudi Arabia, 25.2% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude, while 9.5% have a negative one. The remaining respondents either took a neutral position or did not answer.
“These countries inspire trust thanks to their efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, in particular through prisoner exchanges, and they also act as a negotiating platform and are of interest in the economic sphere,” Urakin believes.
The findings of the study, as emphasized by Oleksandr Pozniy, are an indicator of international trust and potential for the development of bilateral relations between Ukraine and other countries.
Maksym Urakin added that the image of countries in the eyes of Ukrainians can be improved through support for projects aimed at rebuilding Ukraine (even without military involvement), establishing direct dialogue through embassies and public diplomacy projects, explaining their position through historical context, and not avoiding publicity.
The presentation is available here.
In April, the sociological company Active Group, together with the Experts Club information and analytical center, conducted a public opinion survey on international sympathies of Ukrainians. The survey was conducted online among 800 respondents, representative of age, gender and regions. The purpose of the study was to find out which countries enjoy the greatest trust and sympathy in Ukrainian society.
“This study confirms the general vector of public sentiment in Ukraine, which has intensified since the outbreak of a large-scale war. Ukrainians clearly associate the support received primarily from the European Union and the United Kingdom with a positive attitude towards them,” said Alexander Poznyi, co-founder of Active Group, at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
According to the survey, Ukrainians have the most positive attitude towards the UK – 77.2% of respondents gave positive answers, Canada (76.3%) and France (74%). It is particularly significant that only 1.1% of respondents were completely negative about France. Germany currently enjoys the support of 68.8% of Ukrainians. According to Oleksandr Poznyi, the high level of trust in this country is primarily determined by long-term support for Ukrainian reforms and the defense industry, policy toward Ukrainian refugees, and other initiatives.
Ukrainians have a moderately positive attitude toward the United States of America: 36.1% of respondents assess the United States positively, while another 31.2% are neutral. On the other hand, almost a third – 29.9% – have a negative attitude toward the country. According to experts, these results indicate a deep polarization in the perception of the United States within Ukraine, which is caused by changes in American policy after the new administration came to power.
“For many Ukrainians, the United States is still a guarantor of support, but it is also a country with an ambivalent role in global conflicts, which can cause a mixed reaction in society,” said Maksym Urakin, founder of Experts Club.
Ukrainians are quite critical of Hungary (56% negative attitude) and Slovakia (34.6% negative).
“Such results are not unexpected – the official rhetoric of Budapest and Bratislava often diverges from the interests of Ukraine and is seen as pro-Russian, which cannot but be reflected in public opinion,” commented Oleksandr Poznyi.
The situation with China is no better: 42.8% of Ukrainians have a negative opinion of this country, while only 19.6% have a positive one. At the same time, 27.6% chose a neutral answer.
“It is particularly interesting that even Ukraine’s economically important partners, such as China (the largest trading partner), receive low support ratings among Ukrainians. This indicates that Ukrainian society places moral support above actual trade and does not recognize “neutrality” unless it is accompanied by humanitarian gestures,” said Maksym Urakin.
There is a high level of trust in Japan: 66% of respondents have a positive attitude, while only 3.6% have a negative attitude. Japan is perceived as a country with a high cultural reputation and technological leadership. South Korea also has a positive attitude from 49.7% of Ukrainians, although the level of negativity is slightly higher at 14%.
Turkey, despite partnership projects (particularly in the field of drones), has a rather ambiguous perception: 46.4% of respondents have a positive attitude toward it, and 12% have a negative attitude.
Ukrainians have a favorable attitude toward Brazil, with 33.3% positive versus 9.3% negative, and mostly neutral attitudes toward other Latin American countries. This, according to Oleksandr Poznyi, indicates a neutral interest rather than a clearly defined position.
Regarding Saudi Arabia, 25.2% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude, and 9.5% have a negative attitude. The rest of the respondents either have a neutral position or refrained from answering.
“These countries are trustworthy due to their efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, including prisoner exchanges, and also act as a negotiation platform, and they are also of interest in the economic sphere,” Urakin said.
According to Mr. Poznyi, the findings of the study are an indicator of international trust and the potential for the development of bilateral relations between Ukraine and other countries.
Maksym Urakin, in turn, added that the image of states in the perception of Ukrainians can be improved by supporting projects to restore Ukraine (even without military involvement), establishing direct dialogue through embassies and public diplomacy projects, explaining their position through the historical context without avoiding publicity.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Posniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
