In Europe and the United States, nuances are perceptible in public opinion as the war drags on. Between the British still as determined to support Ukraine and the Italians worked by a pacifist current or the Slovaks reluctant in the face of the influx of refugees, the disparities are accentuated.
In the United Kingdom, unconditional support
British opinion has not changed: since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has shown a strong support for Ukrainian resistance and hardly discussed the government’s substantial military aid to Kyiv. And, faced with the explosion in gas prices, she rather blamed the superprofits made by energy companies than the effects of a conflict that is getting bogged down. According to an Ipsos poll dated October 31, 2022, six out of ten Britons approved of British aid to Ukraine, and only 12% opposed it.
Media, politicians, representatives of civil society: all are on the same wavelength. “Ukraine can count on the United Kingdom to provide it with long-term aid”, assured the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, in mid-January, when announcing the dispatch of fourteen Challenger 2 tanks to kyiv, showing the way to other Western countries. “The United Kingdom reiterates its unwavering support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity within its recognized borders, and for Ukraine’s right to pursue its own security arrangements, including future membership in NATO, said 10 Downing Street in a joint statement with the Ukrainian government, issued on February 8, during Volodymyr Zelensky’s surprise visit to London.
Among Westerners, the British are the most likely to see Russia as an “adversary with whom the country is at war”
The reception of the Ukrainian President in the British Parliament was further proof of this national consensus. Gathered in full force in the immense Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster and high place of the British parliamentary monarchy, the deputies and the members of the House of Lords, all political colors combined, rushed into a communion enthusiastic to listen to the Ukrainian leader salute the ” courage ” of the United Kingdom and to demand the dispatch of fighter jets to Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, the usual oratorical jousting that is the “Prime Minister’s Questions” session in the House of Commons had turned into a peaceful exchange: Keir Starmer, the leader of Labor, approving without reserves the policy of the Conservative government – “we must speak with one voice in this chamber” –and even seeming to go further by claiming “more penalties” against Russia and the establishment of a war crimes tribunal in The Hague to try President Putin.
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