Public support for supplying weapons to Ukraine is above 50% in only nine of the European Union’s 27 member states, with several countries supporting Ukraine with weapons despite their citizens’ disagreement, the Századvég Foundation said on Friday. The think-tank’s latest survey dubbed Europe Project also shows that in 13 EU countries the proportion of people against sending weapons to Ukraine is higher than the proportion of supporters. Some 80% of Hungarians, 69% of Greeks, 62% of Austrians and 57% of Czechs said they opposed the EU supporting Ukraine with arms, Századvég said.
Despite 57% of Czechs being against EU arms purchases for Kiev, the Czech government has been sending substantial shipments of weapons to Ukraine, the think-tank said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided in late January that Berlin would supply 14 tanks to Ukraine despite the fact that 49% of Germans were against sending arms to Ukraine and only 44% supported it, Századvég said. In five EU member states including Spain, Luxembourg, Romania, France and Ireland the proportion of people supporting arms supplies to Ukraine was below 50% of respondents.