Ukrainians’ attitude toward France in March 2026 remains one of the highest among the countries surveyed. According to the results of a sociological survey conducted in March 2026 by the research company Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club information and analytical center, 74.6% of respondents rate their attitude toward France as positive, which is only slightly lower than the 75.0% recorded in August 2025. At the same time, the share of negative assessments rose from 4.0% to 4.7%, indicating minimal but noticeable shifts in the balance of public opinion.
In the breakdown of responses, 30.3% of respondents indicated a “completely positive” attitude toward France, while another 44.3% described it as “mostly positive.” A neutral position was taken by 20.3% of respondents. Negative assessments remain low: 3.3% answered “mostly negative,” 1.4% — “completely negative,” while 0.5% were undecided.
Despite the overall stability of the indicators, a slight decrease in the share of positive assessments and a simultaneous increase in negative responses may indicate a gradual shift in perception. This does not signify a radical change in attitude, but demonstrates that public opinion is becoming more sensitive to the foreign policy context and the information landscape.
France traditionally remains an important partner for Ukrainians in the political and security spheres, which largely explains the high level of positive perception. At the same time, even minor fluctuations in the figures indicate that Ukrainians’ assessments are not static and may change depending on current events and signals in international politics.
It is also significant that the share of neutral responses remains relatively small compared to other countries. This means that most respondents have formed a clear perception of France, which is typically a sign of the country’s deeper presence in Ukraine’s information and public sphere.
“Attitudes toward France demonstrate an established and stable perception of partnership. Even with minor fluctuations, the overall level of trust remains high, indicating the stability of political and humanitarian ties. It is important for Ukraine to maintain this momentum through practical cooperation projects that reinforce the sense of mutual benefit,” noted Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
Thus, the survey results confirm that France remains among the countries with the highest level of positive perception in Ukraine. Minor changes in the indicators do not affect the overall trend but point to the need for constant maintenance of active dialogue and interaction between the countries.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center based on data from the State Customs Service, France ranks thirteenth in terms of total trade in goods with Ukraine, which amounts to $2.93 billion. Imports from France significantly exceed the volume of Ukrainian exports, resulting in a substantial trade deficit.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center; the video can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel. The full version of the study can be found at this link on the Experts Club analytical center’s website.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, FRANCE, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE, URAKIN
From May 1, 2026, France will increase a number of immigration fees and introduce new payments for foreigners, which will increase the cost of moving and legalizing in the country. The changes are provided for in the French budget law for 2026, and the increase in stamp duty on citizenship applications is already reflected on the official Service-Public portal.
According to the updated rules, the cost of the first residence permit will increase from €200 to €300, the preferential rate for certain categories will increase from €50 to €100, and the cost of obtaining a duplicate or making changes to a residence permit card will increase from €25 to €50. At the same time, the renewal of most residence permits will remain at €200, and €50 for preferential categories.
One of the most notable changes will be the increase in the stamp duty for applying for French citizenship to €255 from €55. In addition, a new fee of €100 will be introduced for an autorisation provisoire de séjour (temporary residence permit), as well as a €40 fee for exchanging a foreign driver’s license for a French one.
The increase in fees comes against the backdrop of broader budget consolidation in France. The country’s budget for 2026 is designed to reduce the deficit to 5% of GDP from an estimated 5.4% a year earlier. Against this backdrop, part of the administrative costs are being passed on to applicants.
In Niger, one of the representatives of the military authorities, General Amadou Ibro, said at a rally in the capital that the country should prepare for “war” with France, accusing Paris of attempting to destabilize the situation. His speech took place in a stadium in front of a young audience, and a video of the speech was widely shared on social media.
According to Jeune Afrique and AFP reports, Ibro, who is said to be the chief of staff of Niger’s leader Abderrahmane Tiani, claimed that France allegedly intends to wage war on Niger and, in this regard, called for preparations for conflict.
The French side rejected these claims. Colonel Guillaume Vernet, a representative of the French General Staff, stated that “French intervention in Niger is not being considered” and called the accusations an element of “information warfare.”
The rhetoric came amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Niamey and Paris following the 2023 military coup and the subsequent withdrawal of French troops from the country. At the end of January 2026, Niger’s leader Tiani also publicly accused the French leadership and a number of neighboring countries of involvement in the attack near Niamey airport, without providing any evidence.
Imports of trucks to Ukraine in January 2026 decreased by 45% in monetary terms compared to the same month in 2025, to $41.1 million, according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to the published data, compared to December last year, imports of these vehicles fell by 2.5 times.
Most trucks last month were imported from France – $6.1 million (38.3% less than last year), but their share in total imports of these vehicles increased to 14.9% from 13.3%. Thailand was the second largest exporter with $4.7 million (11.4% share), followed by Lithuania with $4.6 million (11.26%).
In January last year, the top three truck suppliers were the United States, Germany, and France.
Imports of trucks from all other countries decreased by 10.3% to $25.7 million.
At the same time, according to statistics, Ukraine exported only $0.22 million worth of trucks in January, mainly to Turkey, and a year ago there were also insignificant export deliveries (worth $0.76 million), mainly to Romania.
As reported, in 2025, imports of trucks to Ukraine increased by 5.5% compared to 2024, to $999.5 million. with the largest imports coming from France ($169.2 million, up 42.8% from the previous year), Poland ($162.7 million, down 14.7%), and the United States ($109 million, up 2%).
FRANCE, freight vehicle, IMPORTS, LITHUANIA, THAILAND, TRUCK
France will transfer 150 generators to Ukraine in February and provide EUR71 million in financial support throughout 2026, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported on Wednesday, citing First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal.
“France is one of Ukraine’s key strategic partners in the energy sector,” he said after meeting with Nicolas Fourcaux, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Investment Attractiveness at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic.
During the meeting, Shmyhal thanked France for its support in attracting EUR 30 billion in energy assistance within the framework of EU macro-financial support and noted that 46 shipments of generators, transformers, and emergency equipment are already being used to restore the power system.
France intends to make Visio the single video communication platform for all ministries and government agencies by 2027, gradually phasing out the use of non-European solutions, including Microsoft Teams and Zoom, according to a statement on the government’s digital development strategy website.
David Amiel, Minister Delegate for Civil Service and State Reform, said the goal of the transition is to “end the use of non-European solutions” and ensure the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications through a “sovereign tool.”
According to the report, Visio was developed by the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Technologies (DINUM) and already has about 40,000 regular users, with deployment continuing to reach 200,000 employees. Among the first organizations to switch to Visio in the first quarter of 2026 are the CNRS, Assurance Maladie, the DGFIP tax service, and the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The CNRS plans to replace its Zoom licenses by the end of March.
It is noted that the solution is being implemented with the support of ANSSI, hosted on the Outscale cloud infrastructure (Dassault Systèmes group), certified by SecNumCloud, and includes AI features—in particular, transcription using technology from French startup Pyannote, as well as real-time subtitling based on Kyutai’s developments, planned for summer 2026.
