Following US participation in humanitarian agreements concerning the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson region, 20.3% of surveyed Ukrainians improved their attitude toward the United States, while 57.1% positively assessed the role of US First Lady Melania Trump in reaching the agreements, according to the results of a sociological study by Active Group presented on Tuesday at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
According to the survey, conducted on October 31 at the request of the publication Politarena, 6.2% of respondents said their opinion of the US had improved significantly, while 14.1% said it had somewhat improved. Meanwhile, 66.5% reported that their attitude toward the United States remained unchanged, 4.9% said it had worsened, and another 8.3% were unable to decide.
Andriy Yeremenko, founder of the research company Active Group, noted that successful humanitarian operations can positively influence the international image of countries involved in organizing them.
“Such humanitarian events, if they are repeated and are genuinely effective, will increase trust, particularly in the US. This event could become one of those that truly improve Ukrainians’ attitude toward the United States. A person who is safe is better off than a person who is in danger,” he said.
The sociologists separately examined attitudes toward Melania Trump’s personal role in the agreements concerning Oleshky. Her participation was assessed very positively by 29.7% of respondents and somewhat positively by 27.4%. A neutral position was expressed by 21.7%, a negative one by 5.7%, while 15.5% said they did not have sufficient information.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of Active Group, pointed out that the US First Lady’s involvement in humanitarian mediation is not limited to the operation in Oleshky. In particular, he recalled previous efforts aimed at returning Ukrainian children.
According to the sociologist, tangible humanitarian results can positively influence citizens’ attitudes toward international partners even when assessments of their policies are contradictory.
Vitaliy Kulyk, director of the Center for Civil Society Studies, described the humanitarian operation in Oleshky as a precedent for diplomatic mediation carried out without the direct involvement of traditional international humanitarian organizations.
“This is not institutional diplomacy at the level of foreign ministers or the US State Department. It was specifically Melania Trump’s team that maintained constant contact with the Ukrainian and Russian ombudsmen. What was achieved through her team’s diplomacy had not been achieved by anyone before,” Kulyk said.
In the expert’s opinion, the agreements reached demonstrated the potential of personal mediation and working contacts between representatives of the parties even under conditions of full-scale war.
At the same time, Viktoriya Plotnikova, editor-in-chief of Politarena, cautioned against excessive optimism regarding the repetition of similar operations. According to her, the mission’s success resulted from a combination of favorable political circumstances and personal interaction among the participants in the negotiations.
“Here, it is cooperation not between institutions but, most likely, between individuals, which coincided with a favorable situation both with the United States and in Russia. Therefore, it is very difficult to predict what will happen next. Of course, I hope that there will be such successful humanitarian missions,” she emphasized.
Overall, 93.6% of surveyed Ukrainians support the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, while 93.8% consider it important for the civilian population. The decision by Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets to personally join the mission was positively assessed by 61.3% of respondents.
The results concerning changes in attitudes toward the US reflect respondents’ self-assessments following reports about the humanitarian agreements, rather than a comparison of indicators from two separate surveys.
The Active Group study was conducted on October 31, 2026, at the request of Politarena through the SunFlower Sociology online panel among 1,000 respondents. The stated statistical margin of error is ±3.1%. According to the organizers, the sample represents Ukraine’s adult population, excluding temporarily occupied territories.
ACTIVE GROUP, humanitarian mission, Melania Trump, SOCIOLOGY, UNITED STATES, Олешки
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump linked the successful completion of a humanitarian mission in Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, to her hope for a lasting peace.
“Hope for a lasting peace,” she wrote on social media platform X, commenting on the events in Oleshky.
“Oleshky proves that we are capable of raising humanity above war. Together, we can build a peaceful planet—a world full of opportunities for our children,” Melania Trump noted.
Her post included a message from Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Human Rights Commissioner, and a video showing residents of the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky returning to territory controlled by Ukraine.
humanitarian mission, Melania Trump, UKRAINE, UNITED STATES, Олешки
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering nominating former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for the position of UN Secretary-General, hoping to secure the support of Russia and China. U.S. officials have already discussed this initiative with the Hungarian politician, but a final decision on his participation in the election has not yet been made, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on October 25, 2026, citing sources in three countries.
According to the publication, the idea of nominating Orbán initially originated within the U.S. administration, after which American officials suggested that the former Hungarian prime minister consider running for the position of UN secretary-general.
Washington hopes that Orbán could become a joint candidate of the U.S., Russia, and China, as he has maintained political contacts with the leadership of all three countries.
A U.S. State Department official told the WSJ that, according to preliminary estimates, Orbán can count on the support of eight out of the 15 members of the UN Security Council. Under favorable circumstances, the number of votes in his favor could rise to ten.
However, to recommend a candidate for Secretary-General, at least nine Security Council votes are required, provided there is no veto from any of the five permanent members—the U.S., Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France.
Thus, even with the support of Washington, Moscow, and Beijing, Orbán’s appointment will depend on the stance of the remaining Security Council members, primarily London and Paris.
According to the WSJ, representatives of the Trump administration view Orbán’s political experience and his ideological affinity with the American conservative MAGA movement favorably.
In particular, officials in Washington are noting his long-standing policy of restricting migration, his conflicts with European institutions, and his experience governing the country amid international political pressure.
It is expected that, should Orbán be officially nominated, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance may publicly support him. However, according to the publication’s sources, such an announcement may be postponed until after the U.S. midterm elections in November 2026.
Orbán himself, according to journalists, has expressed interest in the proposal but is not ready to launch a campaign without sufficient confidence in his chances of being elected.
The White House, Moscow, and Beijing have not officially confirmed the information regarding the coordinated nomination of the Hungarian politician. Furthermore, as of October 26, his name is not included in the list of officially nominated candidates published by the UN.
The WSJ report was published in the Opinion section. The publication cites its own sources regarding the negotiations.
The term of current UN Secretary-General António Guterres ends on December 31, 2026. His successor is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2027.
According to the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. The election of the organization’s new leader will take place sometime in 2026.
Several international politicians and diplomats are vying for the position, including Rafael Gross, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Rebecca Greenspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Orbán’s potential nomination could spark further debate regarding the foreign policy direction of the future UN leadership, particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war.
During his tenure as head of the Hungarian government, Orbán maintained contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and repeatedly opposed certain EU sanctions and financial decisions regarding Russia and Ukraine.
In particular, his government blocked the approval of certain European initiatives to provide financial support to Kyiv, explaining its position by the need to protect Hungary’s national economic interests.
Following Orbán’s defeat in the parliamentary elections on April 12, 2026, the new government led by Péter Magyar announced its intention to improve relations with European institutions.
Viktor Orbán was born on May 31, 1963, in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. In 1988, he became one of the founders of the Fidesz party. He first served as Hungary’s prime minister from 1998 to 2002, then returned to the post in May 2010 and held it until 2026. During his years leading the country, he established a conservative political agenda based on national sovereignty, restrictions on immigration, and a critical stance toward certain aspects of European Union policy. In the parliamentary elections on April 12, 2026, his party, Fidesz, was defeated by the opposition party Tisa, led by Péter Magyar. Orbán stepped down as prime minister after 16 years of uninterrupted rule.
European Union countries and the United Kingdom remain the top foreign economic priority for Ukrainians: in August 2026, 69.9% of respondents noted the need to prioritize the development of trade and economic relations with these countries. This is evidenced by the results of the third wave of the study “Ukrainians’ Attitudes Toward Countries Around the World,” conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
At the same time, support for the European direction has declined compared to previous waves of the study. In August 2025, 82.8% of respondents cited EU countries and the United Kingdom; in March 2026, 81.1%; and in August, 69.9%. Thus, over the course of a year, the figure decreased by 12.9 percentage points.
The trend regarding the United States is even more pronounced. In August 2025, 58.8% of respondents supported prioritizing the development of trade and economic relations with the United States; in March 2026, this figure was 59.2%, while in August it stood at 11.9%.
In August 2026, 8.4% of respondents named China as a priority, compared to 35.4% in March and 26.7% in August of the previous year. At the same time, China remains one of Ukraine’s most important trading partners, highlighting the discrepancy between the actual structure of foreign trade and public perceptions of the desired directions for its development.
Another 5.5% of those surveyed in August advocated for prioritizing the deepening of economic relations with countries in Southeast Asia—Japan, South Korea, and other nations in the region. In March, this figure stood at 49%, and a year earlier—at 21%. Countries in the Arab and Muslim world were cited by 3.5% of respondents, compared to 29.8% in March, while African and South American countries were cited by 0.8%, compared to 19.6%.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center, emphasized the need for more active communication between international partners and Ukrainian society.
“We need to regularly showcase concrete achievements and specific actions. Openness toward the media and the public helps strengthen relations, particularly trade relations,” Urakin noted.
According to him, sociological surveys can serve as a practical tool for government agencies, diplomatic missions, and the business community in determining the direction of bilateral relations.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, also highlighted the need to strengthen the economic component of international cooperation.
“We need to do more than just raise general awareness. Businesses and government agencies need to work more actively on developing bilateral relations,” Pozniy noted.
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. The sample is representative by age, gender, and region; the stated maximum theoretical margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points. Previous waves of the survey were conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
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European Union countries remain in first place in terms of the share of responses from Ukrainians to the question of who contributes most to achieving peace in Ukraine. In August 2026, 44.6% of respondents named EU countries, 25.2% named the U.S., and 23.3% named the United Kingdom. This is evidenced by the results of the third wave of a survey on 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.
Compared to March 2026, the ratings have changed significantly. In the spring, 63.4% of respondents named EU countries in this context, 53.8% named the United Kingdom, and 29.6% named the United States. In August, the figures for the EU and the United Kingdom fell by 18.8 and 30.5 percentage points, respectively, while the figure for the United States changed much less—by 4.4 percentage points.
At the same time, compared to August 2025, the share of respondents who named EU countries increased slightly—from 42% to 44.6%. The figure for the U.S. was 25.8% at that time, and for the UK, 12.8%. Thus, the trend in assessments of the UK remains the most dramatic: 12.8% in August 2025, 53.8% in March 2026, and 23.3% in August of this year.
Perceptions of the role of other major powers remain significantly lower. In August 2026, 4.1% of respondents cited China, compared to 3.5% in March and 1.3% a year earlier. The figure for India was 1.8%, and for Brazil, 1%.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, emphasized that public perceptions of countries should be considered alongside the level of awareness and the actual development of bilateral relations.
“We need to do more than just raise general awareness. First and foremost, business associations, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must work to develop bilateral relations and improve the balance. Given that Ukraine already lacks funding and we are essentially living off foreign loans, we need to expand cooperation with countries where we can achieve a positive balance,” Pozniy noted.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires on the SunFlowerSociology panel. It involved 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. According to the organizers, the sample is representative in terms of age, gender, and region, and the stated maximum theoretical statistical margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points. This is the third wave of the study, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said that he hopes an agreement between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will be reached before the onset of the harsh winter.
“But you know what I want from Zelenskyy? I want him to make a deal. I want him to reach an agreement with Putin, and I want Putin to reach an agreement with him,” Trump said while speaking with journalists.
Asked by a journalist about Patriot missiles, Trump noted that he had spoken with Zelenskyy a lot, but did not give a specific answer to the question.
“I have spoken with him a lot; the process is moving forward, Putin is acting too, and one day — I hope in the not-too-distant future, perhaps even before the onset of the harsh winter — they will reach an agreement,” Trump emphasized.
As reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier emphasized that during a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Ukraine would receive licenses to manufacture Patriot missiles.
“President Trump, during his last meeting with me, emphasized that ‘yes, I have made a final decision — Ukraine will receive licenses to manufacture Patriot missiles,’” the president said at the time.
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