Survey: Majority of Europeans pessimistic about Ukrainian victory
Only 10% of the respondents in an EU-wide survey believe Ukraine can still defeat Russia, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a Berlin-based think tank, said on Wednesday.
Twice as many respondents - 20% - anticipate a Russian victory.
Some 37% of those queried believe that a negotiated settlement will bring an end to the war. In this case, however, Ukraine would likely lose a considerable part of its own territory.
Russia currently occupies almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory and has declared several regions its own in violation of international law.
At the same time, the think tank pointed out that, at 41%, less than half of the survey participants would like Europe to urge Ukraine to negotiate with Russia.
More than 17,000 adults in 12 European countries, including Germany, France, Poland and Sweden, were surveyed for the poll in January.
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia for almost two years and is now struggling on the battlefield as Western support stalls.
A US aid package worth billions has been stymied for weeks due to a domestic political dispute. The German government, meanwhile, has not yet agreed to deliver the long-range Taurus cruise missiles that Kiev has repeatedly demanded.
"Vladimir Putin is counting on the West's war-weariness in order to achieve a Russian victory," an ECFR statement said.
