53% of Germans support continued aid to Ukraine until the war ends
A YouGov survey found that 53% of Germans support continued German assistance to Ukraine until the war ends, while 45% oppose it. The issue has become the country's most emotionally polarizing political topic, with notable regional and party divisions.
Key points
- 53% of Germans support continued assistance to Ukraine until the war ends; 45% oppose it and 2% are undecided.
- On a separate measure, about 54% want Germany to continue supporting Ukraine, while fewer than 29% favor rapprochement with Russia.
- Support stands at 55% in western Germany, while 59% in eastern Germany oppose continued assistance.
- Support reaches 85% among Green voters, 75% among CDU/CSU and SPD voters, and 70% among Left Party voters.
- 84% of AfD supporters oppose continuing German assistance to Ukraine until the war ends.
- The survey covered 2,785 adults in March and was conducted by YouGov.
- The German Finance Ministry proposed an additional €100 million for Ukrainian water, energy and transport infrastructure.
Why it matters
Continued support for Ukraine retains narrow majority approval in Germany, but substantial regional and partisan divisions reveal growing political pressure around assistance to Kyiv. At the same time, Berlin is considering additional infrastructure funding and tying future EU budget decisions to broader financial support for Ukraine, making the issue consequential beyond bilateral German aid.
What happened
A March YouGov survey of 2,785 adults, representative of Germany's adult population, found that 53% of respondents consider it right for Germany to continue supporting Ukraine until the war ends, while 45% disagree and 2% are undecided. Another measure found that approximately 54% wanted continued support and fewer than 29% considered rapprochement with Russia appropriate. The share choosing the most Russia-favouring position on a zero-to-ten scale rose from 13.7% in an earlier survey to 17.3%.
Support differed sharply by region and party affiliation. In western Germany, 55% supported continued assistance, whereas 59% in eastern Germany opposed it. Support was reported among 85% of Green voters, 75% of CDU/CSU and SPD voters, and 70% of Left Party voters, while 84% of AfD supporters opposed continued aid.
The findings come alongside proposed German support for Ukraine. The Finance Ministry proposed another €100 million for water, energy and transport infrastructure and resilience to intensified Russian attacks, while Germany had provided €250 million to the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine in early October.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage highlighted that a majority of Germans continue to support Ukraine and focused on Germany's financial assistance. It noted the proposed €100 million for Ukrainian infrastructure and the €250 million previously provided to the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine, as well as Chancellor Friedrich Merz's warning that Berlin would block the next seven-year EU budget unless every member state committed to financing Ukraine from 2027 onward.
How international sources describe it
German coverage framed support for Ukraine as an exceptionally polarizing issue and emphasized the divide between western and eastern Germany and the sharp differences among party supporters. It placed the results in a broader context of attitudes toward immigration, pro-Russia sentiment and measurements of political polarization.
Where reporting differs
The sources use different survey measures, producing differing shares associated with opposition to or ambivalence toward continued support for Ukraine: 45% opposed continued government assistance, 29% viewed rapprochement with Russia as appropriate, 17.3% selected the most Russia-favouring position, and about 17% either lacked a position or declined to answer.
Background
The survey was conducted by YouGov in March among 2,785 adults and was representative of Germany's adult population. MIDEM found that support for Ukraine had replaced immigration as the country's most emotionally polarizing issue, although the poll detected no general increase in polarization compared with 2025. Approximately two-thirds of Germans supported further restrictions on entry for foreigners, while a majority continued to support immigration of skilled workers, although the share of supporters had fallen substantially. The poll also identified particularly high effective polarization among AfD and Green supporters, among men, and among people over 70 or with low educational attainment.