Thanks to Trump, Russians now see Germany, not US, as most hostile country: survey
Belarus topped the list of friendliest countries, followed by China, Kazakhstan, India and North Korea
Germany is now considered the most hostile country towards Russia, a survey conducted by the independent Moscow-based polling institute Levada showed.
The survey found that 55 per cent of respondents named Germany as the most unfriendly state – a 40 percentage point increase since May 2020.
In contrast, the United States, which held the top position for two decades, was named by only 40 per cent of respondents, compared to 76 per cent last year. This shift is attributed to the revival of Russian-American relations under US President Donald Trump, the institute said.
Germany, however, has faced increasing criticism from the Russian leadership, particularly due to its arms deliveries to Ukraine, which has been under attack by Russia. The tone has notably hardened since Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office last month.
The United Kingdom ranked second among countries perceived as hostile to Russia, with 49 per cent of respondents, followed by Ukraine at 43 per cent.
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The representative survey also asked Russians to name the five countries they associate as having the closest and friendliest relations with Russia.