EU Citizens Were Asked What They Think About a Potential War with Russia

The majority of citizens from nine European Union countries believe that there is a "high risk" of war beginning between EU member states and Russia, according to the survey results published on Thursday, LETA reports citing AFP.

The survey was conducted by the sociological research group Cluster 17, and its results were published in the French newspaper Le Grand Continent, which is dedicated to international issues.

The survey, conducted at the end of November, involved 9,553 people from nine EU countries. It was carried out more than three and a half years after Russia's new invasion of Ukraine, amid ongoing concerns that this war could spread further.

The Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, ordered in October to prepare the military for a possible strike from Russia in the coming years, warning that Moscow "may succumb to the temptation" to expand military operations beyond Ukraine into NATO territory.

51% of respondents believe there is a "high" or "very high" risk that Russia may start a war against their country in the coming years.

The survey included Belgium, France, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Germany. More than 1,000 people were surveyed in each of these countries.

The assessment of the risk of open war with Russia varied across different countries.

In Poland, which borders Russia and its ally Belarus, 77% of respondents saw a "high" or "very high" risk of such a war. In France, it was 54%, and in Germany, 51%.

In Italy, 65% of respondents considered the risk of such a war to be "low" or "non-existent."

81% of all respondents consider it unlikely or impossible for a war with China to begin in the coming years.

Amid increasing discussions in Europe about military service and the introduction of voluntary military service in France, respondents expressed concern about their countries' armed forces' ability to counter Russia.

69% stated that their country is "not at all capable" or "barely capable" of defending itself against Russian aggression.

The least pessimism on this issue was expressed in France—the only country included in the survey that possesses nuclear weapons. There, 44% of respondents believe that the country is "fully" or "sufficiently" capable of defending itself.

The highest pessimism was observed in Belgium, Italy, and Portugal, where 87%, 85%, and 85% of respondents, respectively, believe that their country is unable to defend itself.

The main direct threat that public opinion in Europe still considers is terrorism. In the nine countries covered by the survey, 63% of respondents believe that the risk of open war with terrorist groups is "high" or "very high."