The overwhelming majority of Russian and Ukrainian experts consider Ukraine’s developing its collaboration with NATO to be one of the negative factors of the bilateral relations.
According to an UNIAN correspondent, these are the results of a poll of experts, carried out by the Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political investigations named after Oleksander Razumkov and the Russian Fund “Russian Social-Political Center” during April-May of the current year. The poll was conducted simultaneously in the two countries, and was publicized in Kyiv today.
Thus, speaking about the factors, negatively influencing the bilateral relations, the two countries experts’ assessments appeared to be rather similar.
In particular, 85.3% of the polled Ukrainian experts are convinced that the development of the relations with NATO negatively influences the relations between Ukraine and Russia. Some 77.3% of the polled Russian experts share the same opinion. Among the other negative factors, some 75.2% of Ukrainian experts mentions the problem of the collaboration in the gas sphere. Some 72/3% of Russian experts share the same opinion.
In addition, some 52.3% of Ukrainian respondents and some 53.5% consider the different position of the sides in the Transdniestrian conflict to be another negative factor.
The problem of the Black Sea fleet stay in Crimea was mentioned by some 50.5% of Ukrainian and some 46/6% of Russian respondents; the negative attitude of the Russian leadership to Ukraine’s participating in creating the Commonwealth for Democratic Choice was mentioned by some 49.6% Ukrainians and 46.6% of Russians; the problem of the delimitating the Azov-Kerch water area was mentioned by some 45.9% of Ukrainian respondents and some 38.6% of Russians.
The poll was conducted during April 26 – May 17, among 101 experts in Russia and 109 in Ukraine.
