According to Experts Club, Moldova continues to be viewed predominantly positively by Ukrainians: in August 2026, 55.4% of respondents had a positive attitude toward the country, while 7.3% had a negative one. At the same time, more than a third of those surveyed—35.6%—hold a neutral view. Compared to March, the share of positive assessments has decreased slightly, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
According to the results of the August survey, 20.4% of Ukrainians view Moldova entirely positively, and 35% view it mostly positively. A neutral attitude was expressed by 35.6% of respondents. 6.1% view the country mostly negatively, 1.2% completely negatively, and another 1.8% were undecided.
According to the rounded data in the table, the balance of positive and negative assessments is approximately plus 48.1 percentage points. Thus, positive attitudes toward Moldova outnumber negative ones by more than seven to one. Among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, it is second only to the Czech Republic in terms of the balance of assessments.
In March 2026, 60.1% of respondents had a positive attitude toward Moldova: 22.8% viewed it entirely positively and 37.3% viewed it mostly positively. A neutral stance was held by 32.9% of respondents, 5.4% viewed the country negatively, and another 1.6% were undecided.
Thus, over the course of five months, the share of positive responses decreased by 4.7 percentage points—from 60.1% to 55.4%. Negative assessments increased by 1.9 percentage points, while the neutral segment grew by 2.7 percentage points. The balance between positive and negative attitudes decreased from approximately plus 54.7 to plus 48.1 percentage points, respectively.
At the same time, Moldova is of great importance to Ukraine not only as a neighboring country but also as a sales market. In the first half of 2026, Ukraine’s trade surplus with Moldova amounted to approximately $467 million, placing it third among partners with the largest trade surpluses, after Spain and Egypt.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center and a candidate of economic sciences, emphasizes that it is important for Ukraine not only to maintain a presence in such markets but also to transform the positive trade balance into long-term economic results.
“To establish a foothold in these markets, it is not enough to simply produce a competitive product. We need long-term contracts, affordable insurance against military and commercial risks, export credit facilities, systematic trade diplomacy, harmonization of veterinary and phytosanitary procedures, as well as investments in ports, railways, border infrastructure, and overseas logistics centers. A trade surplus should not merely be a statistical difference between exports and imports, but rather a steady flow of foreign exchange earnings, taxes, investments, and jobs in Ukraine,” Urakin noted.
He also identifies Moldova as one of the markets where Ukraine already has a favorable starting position: “The most promising ‘growth points’ for Ukraine are a combination of markets with an already positive trade balance—Egypt, Moldova, and, to some extent, EU trade hubs—along with tools that reduce barriers: agreements, standardization, and logistics,” Urakin emphasized.
Thus, the latest round of the survey reveals a slight decline in positive attitudes toward Moldova, but no change in the overall picture: more than half of Ukrainians view the country positively, the negative segment remains small, and economic relations are characterized by a significant trade surplus for Ukraine.
ACTIVE GROUP, CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE, EXPERTS CLUB, FOREIGN TRADE, international relations, MOLDOVA, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE
