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Poll: 63% of Bulgarians say increasing arms supplies to Ukraine is a 'bad idea'

Photo: ecfr.eu

Ukrainian optimism clashes with European scepticism ahead of the NATO summit, with divisions emerging over defence spending and how the war will end. These are the conclusions of a report based on a new survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Ukraine and 14 European countries by Mark Lennard and Ivan Krastev, reports BTA. 

Most Europeans believe that the final outcome of the war in Ukraine will be a negotiated settlement, the survey shows. 61% of Bulgarians surveyed believe that "Europe should urge Ukraine to negotiate a peace settlement with Russia". 

Bulgaria (63%), Greece (54%) and Italy (53%) are the three out of 15 countries that think that increasing the supply of ammunition and weapons to Ukraine by its allies is a "bad idea", while 24% of respondents in Bulgaria approve of the idea. 

Despite economic difficulties, 25% of Bulgarians are in favour of increasing the defence budget, while 40% are against (compared to an EU average of 41.3%). Sending troops to Ukraine is opposed across the EU - from 54% in Sweden to 90% in Bulgaria.



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