Austria Divided Over Support for Ukraine in Fight Against Russian Aggression - Poll Shows

A recent opinion poll conducted by the Austrian Society for European Politics (ÖGfE) has revealed that half of Austrians believe it is important for the European Union and its member states to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

 Specifically, 51% of Austrians surveyed consider it "very important" (25%) or "rather important" (26%) for the EU to support Ukraine. However, 36% of respondents think the opposite, with 15% considering it "rather unimportant" and 21% stating that it is "not at all important". Meanwhile, 13% of respondents were undecided.

 The poll also found that 9% of Austrians still view Russia as a "reliable" partner, while a significant 79% of respondents hold the opposite view. In addition, the poll revealed that only 28% of Austrians rate Ukraine as a trustworthy partner, while 50% of respondents do not.

 As for the United States, 34% of Austrians consider it a trustworthy partner, but 47% hold the opposite view. The poll also showed that Austrians support remaining a member of the EU and strengthening European cooperation in the field of security and defense.

 However, joining NATO remains strongly rejected, with 61% of respondents saying they would vote against it if a referendum were held, and only 21% saying they would vote for it.

 On the issue of strengthening cooperation between EU member states in the field of security and defense, two-thirds of Austrians (67%) are in favor of it, 20% hold the opposite view, and 13% are undecided.

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 The survey was conducted online from April 11 to 13, 2023, with 1,000 people polled across Austria. The statistical error stands at +/- 3.16%.

 This poll comes amid calls by over 100 Austrian former high-ranking generals, ministers, politicians, ambassadors, diplomats, security and foreign policy experts, journalists, scholars, and businessmen for the country's leadership to start a national discussion on Austria's future security and defense policy and adopt a new security doctrine.

 The current version of Austria's Security Strategy still considers the Russian Federation as an "important" and "strategic" partner of the European Union on a par with the United States. The federal government has announced work on drafting a new document.