Most Germans consider military aid to Ukraine excessive—a poll
In western Germany, 39% of those surveyed consider arms deliveries to Ukraine to be excessive, while in the east of the country, 54% of respondents share this view.
According to political scientist Johannes Warwick, this stance should not automatically be interpreted as pro-Russian.
“I wouldn’t, however, call this a pro-Russian stance. Rather, it reflects a desire to rely more on diplomacy rather than fueling a conflict that Ukraine cannot win with ever-new arms shipments,” Warwick commented on the poll results.
At the same time, 56% of Germans consider Russia a strong or very strong threat to themselves.
However, attitudes toward Russia vary significantly depending on region and political preferences. Residents of eastern Germany and supporters of the far-right “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) are significantly less likely to view Russia as a threat.
According to ARD-Deutschlandtrend, support for Ukraine among the German population has been gradually declining in recent years.
Deutsche Welle attributes this trend, in particular, to active propaganda by “Alternative for Germany” and “Sari Wagenknecht’s Union.”
These political forces are convincing Germans that the funds Germany allocates to support Ukraine could instead be used to address social problems within the country.
Consequently, there remains a noticeable difference between western and eastern Germany in attitudes toward military aid to Ukraine and the level of threat posed by Russia.
This is evidenced by the results of the ARD-Deutschlandtrend poll, published by Deutsche Welle.
As a reminder, 44.8% of Polish citizens believe that the military aid provided to Ukraine after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion was excessive.
Earlier, Polish Presidential Spokesperson Rafal Leskiewicz criticized the decision by Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz to declassify information about the military aid Poland provided to Ukraine between 2022 and 2026. He stated that such data should not be made public.
As a reminder, there was outrage in Poland over the alleged secret transfer of scarce Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
The day before, Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that, following consultations with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he had ordered the declassification of information regarding all Polish military shipments to Ukraine from 2022 to 2026. He also ordered the Military Counterintelligence Service to identify those involved in the possible disclosure of state secrets.
