Szazadveg: Europeans ‘strongly divided’ about supplying weapons to Ukraine

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 percent of Hungarians, 69 percent of Greeks, 62 percent of Austrians and 57 percent of Czechs said they opposed the EU supporting Ukraine with arms, Szazadveg said.

Despite 57 percent 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 percent of Germans were against sending arms to Ukraine and only 44 percent supported it, Szazadveg 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 percent of respondents.