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Excerpts from the JRL E-Mail Community :: Founded and Edited by David Johnson
#54 - JRL 2008-197 - JRL Home
Nearly half of Ukrainians back EU membership, about as many against joining NATO - poll

KYIV. Oct 28 (Interfax) - Nearly half of Ukrainians - 47.2% - support the idea of Ukraine joining the European Union, says a poll of 10,865 respondents conducted by the Razumkov Center in all regions of Ukraine on October 7-19, whose results were announced at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Another 30.2% of those polled are against EU membership for Ukraine and 22.7% were undecided.

Asked about their attitude toward Ukraine joining NATO, 45% absolutely disapproved of the idea, 14.5% said they were rather disinclined to support it, 11.4% said this step would be both beneficial and harmful to Ukraine, 8.2% were inclined to support the idea, 10% fully approved of it, and 10.2% were undecided.

The poll also showed that 44.6% of the respondents believe Ukraine should seek closer ties both with Russia and the West, 31.2% preferably with Russia, and 12.6% preferably with the West, 6.7% were undecided, and 4.9% were against convergence with either Russia or the West.