On June 19 (local time), according to a survey conducted by the Wahlen research group for ZDF television channel, German people's support for increasing military aid to Ukraine has decreased significantly compared to the beginning of this year.
Only 32% of respondents believe that European countries should increase military support for Kiev. In a survey conducted in February, this rate reached 43%.
In the opposite direction, the number of people who believe that the level of support for Ukraine should be reduced increased from 24% to 31% in the same period.
The results show that the gap between the two viewpoints in Germany is narrowing significantly. If at the beginning of the year, the group supporting increased aid clearly dominated, now the ratio between the two groups is almost equal.
The survey was conducted from June 16 to 18 with 1,190 participants across Germany.
According to observers, changes in public opinion reflect the increasing debate in Germany about the scale and duration of maintaining support for Ukraine.
After more than 4 years of conflict, a part of voters began to express concern about economic, financial and security costs related to the continued expansion of military aid.
However, groups supporting Kiev still account for a large proportion in German society. The German government is currently continuing to affirm its commitment to support Ukraine in the military, financial and humanitarian fields.
Germany is one of the European countries that has provided the most aid to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia broke out. Berlin has provided Kiev with many types of military equipment, air defense systems, armored vehicles, ammunition and large-scale financial support packages.
In recent months, the German government has also repeatedly emphasized that maintaining support for Ukraine is part of Europe's security policy. However, public opinion polls show that this issue is increasingly becoming a topic of debate within Germany.
Wahlen's new survey results show that the attitude of the German public towards military aid to Ukraine is changing somewhat, although no clear consensus has emerged on whether to continue expanding or narrowing support packages in the near future.
