--- title: "Macron — the most popular leader among Ukrainians, Trump among the least: Rating Group poll" description: "According to a Rating Group poll (4–9 August 2026), Macron (79%) became the leader of Ukrainians' sympathy ratings, while Trump ended up among the least popular. Respondents expressed the strongest negativity toward Putin (97%) and Lukashenko (90%)." date: 2026-08-26T11:56:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukrainians-sympathy-rating-macron-trump-putin-lukashenko tags: [ukraine, poll, rating-group, trump, putin, macron, lukashenko, merz, erdogan] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Macron — the most popular leader among Ukrainians, Trump among the least: Rating Group poll ![Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Alexander Lukashenko featured in a poll on Ukrainians' sympathy for world leaders, where Trump ranks among the lowest](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/26/reyting-simpati-ukraincev-makron-tramp-putin-lukashenko/reyting-simpati-ukraincev-makron-tramp-putin-lukashenko-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Macron leads the Ukrainians' sympathy rating with 79% positive ratings, followed by Merz (64%) and Erdogan (61%). - Trump is among the laggards: 16% positive and 77% negative ratings. - Maximum negativity — toward Putin (97%) and Lukashenko (90%). - Rating Group poll: 2,000 respondents, CATI method, margin of error 2.2% at a 0.95 confidence level. 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. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Trump ends up in the same unpopularity group as Putin and Lukashenko: poll](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/tramp-opinivsya-odnomu-antireytingu-putinim-1787745101.html) - Подтверждает ключевые цифры: Трамп 16%/77%, Путин 97%, Лукашенко 90%, методология CATI, 2000 респондентов. - [Macron, Merz and Erdogan become the leaders of Ukrainians' sympathy ratings — poll](https://ru.interfax.com.ua/news/political/1196143.html) - Подтверждает лидерство Макрона (79%), Мерца (64%) и Эрдогана (61%) и динамику по сравнению с 2024 годом. - [Poll: Budanov's approval rating in the SBU is 2 times higher than Yermak's](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/07/01/8041953/) - Не относится к рассматриваемому опросу Rating Group; использован только как смежный контекст по украинским соцопросам. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who do Ukrainians rate most positively according to the Rating Group poll? **A:** The leader is Emmanuel Macron (79% positive ratings), followed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (64%) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (61%). ### Q: Which leaders received the most negative ratings? **A:** Ukrainians expressed the most negative attitude toward Vladimir Putin (97%) and Alexander Lukashenko (90%). ### Q: How do Ukrainians rate Donald Trump? **A:** Trump ended up among the least popular: 16% of respondents view him positively, while 77% expressed a negative attitude. ### Q: How was the poll conducted and what is its accuracy? **A:** The Rating Group study (4–9 August 2026) was conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) among 2,000 respondents aged 18 and over; the maximum margin of error is 2.2% at a 0.95 confidence level.