Ukrainians have named their main "friends" and "foes" among world leaders: according to the latest Rating Group sociological survey conducted on 4–9 August 2026, the undisputed leader of the sympathy rating is French President Emmanuel Macron, whom 79% of respondents view positively. At the same time, US President Donald Trump ended up among the least popular, while the strongest negative sentiment was directed at Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a Rating Group publication.
Rating leaders: Macron, Merz and Erdogan
Following Macron with a clear gap is German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who received 64% positive ratings, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom 61% of respondents view positively. Sociologists note a positive trend: Ukrainians' attitude toward Macron and Erdogan has improved compared with 2024. Merz has also outperformed his predecessor Olaf Scholz — in February 2025, Scholz was rated positively by 57% of respondents, whereas his successor is already starting at 64%.
Trump among the rating's laggards
US President Donald Trump shows one of the lowest scores on the list: only 16% of Ukrainians view him positively, while 77% of respondents expressed a negative attitude toward him. Thus, in terms of unpopularity, Trump is effectively grouped with the leaders toward whom Ukrainians feel the most negative sentiment, underscoring the cooling of perceptions of the American president against the backdrop of the current foreign policy agenda.
Change of power in Poland and Hungary
The perception of the Polish leader has also shifted noticeably: if in February 2025 72% of respondents rated Andrzej Duda positively, then after Karol Nawrocki's election the figure dropped to 20%, with 62% of respondents viewing him negatively. The picture in Hungary is different — Prime Minister Peter Magyar is perceived by Ukrainians significantly better than his predecessor Viktor Orban, toward whom negative sentiment stands at 74%.
Maximum negativity: Putin and Lukashenko
The harshest reaction from Ukrainians is directed at the Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko: the negative rating reached 97% and 90% respectively. It is these two leaders who close the rating from the opposite end — where sympathy is minimal and hostility is close to absolute.
Methodology and context
The Rating Group survey was conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). The study involved 2,000 respondents aged 18 and over; the sample covered the territory under Ukraine's control, excluding areas where Ukrainian mobile coverage was absent at the time of the study. The maximum margin of error is 2.2% at a 0.95 confidence level. For completeness, sociologists also note that the mood among Russians has deteriorated noticeably: over the past month, so-called "happiness index" fell by 9 points, reaching its lowest level since 2011.
