Most Ukrainians say Western support is critical to success in their fight, but confidence they'll get it has hit a new low

• A majority of Ukrainians believe Western sanctions and aid are crucial for success against Russia.
• Confidence in the West's support has hit a new low though, per new polling data.

A majority of Ukrainian people believe sanctions, financial support, and weapons from the West are critical for success against Russia, but confidence in the West's ability to provide this much-needed support is falling, according to new polls.

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology reported February 29 that 57 percent of Ukrainians feel Western support is the most important factor in determining their country's success in the war.

The second most important factor that 33 percent of respondents believed could help Ukraine achieve success was "greater efficiency and transparency of Ukrainian authorities."

But while most Ukrainians believe that war aid from countries like the US could benefit their country, their confidence in Western support has reached a new low.

On February 27, the institute reported that over 40 percent of Ukrainians felt that "the West is getting tired of Ukraine," that support is weakening, and that "the West wants to press for Ukraine to make concessions to Russia."

Confidence in Western support has dropped around a dozen percentage points since October 2023 and around 30 percentage points since September 2022.

"The fact that the optimism of Ukrainians is becoming more and more restrained is a direct consequence of the problems with a stable and sufficient supply of weapons from the Western allies (the situation in the USA is especially worrying for Ukrainians)," KIIS executive director Anton Hrushetskyi said in response to the poll results.

The latest polls were conducted as the US Congress has been struggling to pass a sufficient aid package for Ukraine since October.

"Although a number of Ukrainian friends are unwaveringly making really significant efforts, some of our other partners seem to be talking more about good words than doing good deeds," Hrushetskyi added.

While Ukraine awaits US funding, its military has been wreaking havoc on Russia's Black Sea ship fleets using naval drones and trying to use drones to improve the longevity of ammunition and accuracy of other weapons.