MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) – The majority of Britons believe that the role of the European Union in stabilizing the situation in Ukraine should amount to a peacekeeping mission and should include the supply of humanitarian aid to civilians, according to an ICM poll conducted at the request of Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.
According to the poll, 85 percent of British respondents think the European Union should supply humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian civilian population while 68 percent are in support of an EU peacekeeping mission. Every fifth respondent said they were in favor of military equipment and weapons supplies to the Ukrainian government. Thirteen percent said the European Union should provide loans to the Kiev authorities.
Overall, 53 percent of poll participants said the European Union should intervene in the situation in Ukraine. Young people and men expressed more support for EU intervention – 62 percent of 18 to 24 year-olds and 57 percent of male respondents said they were for it. Of the female participants in the poll, only half said they thought the European Union should intervene in the Ukrainian crisis. Older people also showed less support for intervention - only 44 percent of respondents aged 65 and over said they supported it.
Forty percent said the European Union should not intervene. This position was taken by half of those aged 65 and over and by 36 percent of those falling in the 18 to 24 age group.
The poll revealed that 65 percent of Britons think that if the European Union intervenes in the Ukrainian crisis, all EU countries should act collectively. Middle-aged people expressed the most support for collective action – 73 percent of 45 to 54 year-olds was in favor of it. Only 49 percent of 18 to 24 year-olds said EU member states should act collectively in case of intervention.
Ninety-two percent of the British population is aware of the situation in Ukraine, the poll showed. Younger people knew least about the events in Ukraine – 85 percent of 25 to 34 year-olds knows about the crisis. Elderly people (65 and over) showed more awareness, with 96 percent being familiar with the situation. The survey also showed that men are more aware of what is going on in Ukraine than women (93 and 90 percent respectively).
Ukraine has been engulfed in a violent internal conflict since mid-April, when Kiev began a military operation against independence supporters in the southeastern regions of the country. According to the latest UN estimates, over 3,600 people have died as a result of the conflict.
The ICM poll on Ukraine was conducted by telephone among 3,006 randomly selected people between September 17 and 28, 2014. The poll covered the United Kingdom, France and Germany. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council.
