According to Ukrainians, Arab countries are taking a neutral stance in the Russian-Ukrainian war. This became known following the results of a joint study by Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center, “Ukrainians’ Attitudes Toward Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia,” which was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday.

“The analysis shows that our citizens have a predominantly positive attitude towards countries such as Israel (72.5%) and Turkey (55%), while their attitude towards other countries in the region is mostly neutral. Ukrainians have an extremely negative attitude toward Iran (76%) and a mostly negative attitude toward Afghanistan (52.6%),” said Alexander Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group.

In addition, the expert added that Ukrainians generally have a positive attitude toward countries with which they have trade or cultural ties. This is natural, as such ties promote mutual respect between societies and countries.

In turn, Andriy Yeremenko, founder of the research company Active Group, emphasized that Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia vary depending on many factors.

“We see that, in fact, citizens’ attitudes are only defined in relation to two countries—Iran and Israel. These are the countries where the percentage of those who find it difficult to answer is less than 20%. The rest of the countries have a significantly higher percentage of uncertainty, which indicates that Ukrainians are not sufficiently aware of these states,” Yeremenko emphasized.

Maksim Urakin, founder of the Experts Club analytical center, added that developing cooperation with countries in the Middle East and Central Asia is very important for the development of the Ukrainian economy, especially in the agricultural and IT sectors. These industries have great potential for development and can become the basis for mutually beneficial partnerships.

“It is necessary to implement a state strategy to reduce the trade deficit and increase Ukraine’s export potential. This will create a more balanced and sustainable economy that will be less dependent on external factors. Ukraine can be attractive for its agricultural products, IT clusters, and educational services. We are interested in sales markets, agricultural technology, metallurgy, and chemistry,” Urakin emphasized.

According to him, trade between Ukraine and the countries under study is currently growing rapidly.

“Turkey is the largest trading partner among the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia, accounting for more than half of all trade with these countries. This shows the importance of Turkey for the Ukrainian economy,” added the founder of Experts Club.

According to Urakin, a balanced foreign economic policy in the region can not only significantly improve Ukraine’s relations with Middle Eastern countries, but also have a positive impact on the overall state of the economy.

Active Group Experts Club

Last modified: August 28, 2025