New IBRiS Poll Shows Majority of Poles Now Oppose Ukraine Joining the European Union

A majority of Polish citizens oppose Ukraine's accession to the European Union, according to a recent survey conducted by the IBRiS Market and Social Research Institute for Radio ZET.

The poll shows that 59.7% of respondents are against Ukraine joining the bloc. 32.3% answering "definitely no" and 27.4% answering "probably no." In contrast, 35.3% of those surveyed support Ukraine’s EU membership, with 8.4% responding "definitely yes" and 26.9% saying "rather yes." The remaining 5% of participants could not decide, as reported by ZN.UA on June 25.

The survey highlights a significant political divide within Polish society regarding this issue. Among supporters of the current ruling coalition—which includes the Civic Coalition, the Left, the Polish People's Party, and Poland 2050—64% believe Ukraine should join the EU, while 32% hold the opposite view.

Conversely, opposition to Ukraine's integration dominates among voters of the Law and Justice party, Confederation, and the Together party. Within this group, 73% of respondents believe Ukraine should not enter the EU, while 24% support its membership. The poll was conducted on June 12–13, 2026, using standardized computer-assisted telephone interviews with a sample size of 1,068 respondents.

Public sentiment in Poland has been influenced by ongoing economic and political discussions. Karol Nawrocki, the President of Poland, recently stated that Ukraine's admission to the EU poses a threat to Polish farming.

Relations between the two nations experienced additional strain at the end of May after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy granted a symbolic honorary title to a Special Operations Forces unit, naming it after the "Heroes of the UPA ." This decision led to protests and calls for cancellation in Poland.

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Public opinion in Ukraine remains firm on historical matters. Data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology shows that only 1% of Ukrainians believe their country should yield to Poland regarding historical disputes, while 90% desire constructive cooperation.

Analyst Petro Katerynych described the dispute over the state award as a litmus test for bilateral relations in his article "Order of Discord: Anatomy of a Political Demarche."

Concurrently, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, Ukraine's Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador, warned in an analysis titled "Ukraine and Poland: When the Important Blurs the Main" that "when emotions begin to dictate state policy, and historical disputes displace strategic issues, only the third party wins. And that is Russia."

On June 19, 2026, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest state decoration, the Order of the White Eagle, following a dispute over Ukraine naming a military unit after historical figures connected to the UPA.

In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized the escalation as counterproductive, stating that Ukraine had spent the past year and a half trying to de-politicize history, and announced his decision to return his own Polish state award, the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit.

Following the decision by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, all former Ukrainian presidents who had previously received the prestigious award voluntarily renounced the honor.

The second president of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, who was awarded the decoration back in 1997, became the first of the former heads of state to officially renounce it. Shortly thereafter, Ukraine's third president, Viktor Yushchenko, also rejected his award. By Saturday evening, the fifth president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, joined his predecessors in renouncing the Order of the White Eagle in a direct response to the actions taken against the current Ukrainian president.

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