MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) — The majority of Russians see Ukraine's new President Petro Poroshenko as promoting mainly the interests of the US, the EU and big business, a public-opinion poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) showed Monday.
Some 43 percent of those surveyed said Poroshenko was lobbying for Western interests, while 37 percent said the billionaire owner of the Roshen confectionary supported big enterprises.
Only 1 percent of Russians see Poroshenko as representing the interests of all Ukrainians.
"One in five people (21 percent) see the Ukrainian president as close to nationalists and Bandera followers. And 17 percent are persuaded that Petro Poroshenko is only concerned about his own interests. A portion of those surveyed thinks he represents the special forces (12 percent)," VTsIOM announced.
In Russia, 29 percent of the population does not trust Poroshenko, and 22 percent is indifferent, while 19 percent of people dislike him and 17 percent disapprove of him. One-in-ten people are either disappointed in the new president or are skeptical about him. Seven percent admitted to hating Poroshenko, and only one in 100 Russians like him, according to the poll, conducted between the end of May and the beginning of June.
Some 63 percent of Russians followed the presidential campaign in Ukraine, mostly elderly Moscow and St. Petersburg residents, the survey showed.
Poroshenko was elected president during a snap election in Ukraine on May 25, after winning 54.7 percent of the votes. The runner-up, Yulia Timoshenko, gained 12 percent of the vote. US and European leaders, hopeful of the new leader's ability to reinstall order and stop violence and bloodshed in Ukraine, were among the first to congratulate Poroshenko on his victory and attended his inauguration on June 7.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Poroshenko on the eve of the inauguration in the French town of Deauville on the sidelines of ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy during WWII, and welcomed the intention of his Ukrainian counterpart to end the violent punitive operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine.
Violence in eastern Ukraine has been on the rise since the beginning of a special operation launched by Kiev authorities in mid-April to crack down on protesters.
The operation, repeatedly condemned by Russia, has claimed dozens of civilian victims. Moscow has repeatedly called this operation “punitive” and urged a de-escalation to the crisis.
