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Record 81% of Europeans support common defense policy amid Ukraine war
The latest Eurobarometer survey shows that a majority of European Union citizens back the bloc’s military assistance to Ukraine, with 59% agreeing that the EU should finance the purchase and supply of military equipment to the war-torn country.
The survey, conducted between 26 March and 22 April 2025, across all 27 EU member states, interviewed 26,368 citizens face-to-face. It revealed continued strong support for the EU’s response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Some 80% of European respondents agree with welcoming into the EU people fleeing the war, the survey showed. Additionally, over three quarters of Europeans (76%) support providing financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine.
To compare, between late 2024 and early 2025, support among EU citizens for supplying weapons to Ukraine was reported at 58–59%.
The latest survey showed that “60% of the EU citizens approve of the EU granting candidate status to Ukraine.” This represents solid support for Ukraine’s European integration aspirations despite the ongoing war.
Security concerns drive much of this support, with 77% of European respondents agree that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a threat to the security of the EU.
The war remains at the forefront of European concerns. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to be considered as the most important issue at EU level (27%) out of 15 items,” followed by the international situation at 24% and security and defense at 20%.
The survey also revealed record levels of trust in EU institutions. “52% of Europeans trust the EU, the highest result since 2007,” with particularly high trust among young people aged 15-24 at 59%.
Defense cooperation has gained priority among Europeans. More than eight in ten (81%) support a common defence and security policy among Member States – the highest result since 2004.
When asked about EU budget priorities, “European citizens would like the EU budget to be spent on defence and security (43%), employment, social affairs and public health (42%) and education, training, youth, culture and media (34%).”
The Eurobarometer survey was conducted by the European Commission across all EU member states, as well as in nine candidate and potential candidate countries and the United Kingdom.
