Business news from Ukraine

Georgia has the highest balance of positive and negative attitudes among Ukrainians among the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia included in the study—48.5 percentage points. Azerbaijan scored 40.1 percentage points, while Uzbekistan’s score was 11.1 percentage points. These findings come from the third wave of the study “Ukrainians’ Attitudes Toward Countries Around the World,” conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.

57.3% of Ukrainians surveyed view Georgia positively, 32.1% neutrally, 8.8% negatively, and another 1.8% were undecided. The balance of positive and negative assessments stands at 48.5 percentage points and has gradually increased over the three waves of the survey: from 45.6 percentage points in August 2025 to 47.5 percentage points in March 2026 and 48.5 percentage points in August of this year. The current figures for positive attitudes and the balance are confirmed by the published survey data.

A positive attitude toward Azerbaijan was expressed by 48.7% of respondents, a neutral one by 39.5%, a negative one by 8.6%, and another 3.1% chose the “difficult to answer” option. The balance stands at 40.1 percentage points. Compared to March 2026, it has risen from 37.8 percentage points, but remains lower than the August 2025 level of 51 percentage points. In terms of the share of positive assessments, Azerbaijan ranks second in this regional group after Georgia.

Attitudes toward Uzbekistan are characterized primarily by a high proportion of neutral assessments. 25.6% of respondents view the country positively, 55.6% neutrally, 14.5% negatively, and another 4.3% are undecided. The balance between positive and negative responses is 11.1 percentage points. In the study’s analytical materials, the high proportion of neutral responses is noted as a characteristic feature of perceptions of countries in the region that receive less media attention from the Ukrainian audience.

Thus, the balance remains positive for all three countries surveyed, but the structure of the assessments differs significantly. In the case of Georgia, the overwhelming majority of respondents express a positive attitude; positive assessments also prevail regarding Azerbaijan, while a neutral stance dominates in assessments of Uzbekistan.

Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, deputy director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, and candidate of economic sciences, emphasized the importance of systematic communication between foreign partners and Ukrainian society.

“Second, we must be open to questions and inquiries from the media and the public. We also need to make use of our sociological data,” Urakin noted. According to him, it is important for embassies to regularly inform the Ukrainian audience about specific results of cooperation and to maintain full-fledged communication in the Ukrainian language.

Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group, drew attention to the need to develop the practical component of international economic cooperation.

“We should focus not only on raising general awareness. We need to expand cooperation with countries where we can achieve a positive trade balance,” Pozniy noted. He also highlighted the role of business associations, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in developing bilateral relations.

The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires via the SunFlowerSociology panel. A total of 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older were surveyed. According to the organizers, the sample is representative in terms of age, gender, and region, and the maximum theoretical margin of error for indicators at the 50% confidence level is ±3.5 percentage points. This is the third wave of the survey, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.