War in Ukraine: Greeks are the most sceptical about Kyiv's final victory over Russia

Greeks are the most pessimistic about Ukraine's final victory, according to a poll by the "European Council on Foreign Relations" think tank

European citizens are pessimistic about the chances of Ukraine winning the war against Russia and see a negotiated settlement between the two countries as the most likely scenario, according to a poll of 12 EU countries published on Wednesday.

According to the poll conducted in January on behalf of the think tank "European Council on Foreign Relations" (ECFR), only 10% of respondents predict a victory for Ukraine over Russia.

About 20% expect a Russian victory, while 37% believe the war will end in some form of "compromise" between the two countries.

The most optimistic countries about Ukraine's chances of victory are Poland, Sweden and Portugal, while the most pessimistic are Greece, Hungary and Italy.

The release of this poll coincides with the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while Kyiv finds itself in a difficult position facing a Russia emboldened by the retreat of Western support for Ukraine and the possibility of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Some 31% of respondents believe that Europe should help Ukraine regain its Russian-occupied territories, while 41% favour Europe pushing Ukraine to negotiate a peace deal with Russia.

However, 41% of respondents believe that the EU should either "increase" or "maintain" its support for Ukraine at current levels should US support end under a possible Trump presidency.

A majority of Europeans (56%) would be "disappointed" by the election of Donald Trump, and 43% think it would make Ukraine's victory less likely.

The poll was based on responses from around 17,000 respondents in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden.

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