Lithuanians have a favourable opinion of Poland, Ukraine, and other Western partners, while their perceptions of Russia and Belarus are increasingly worse, a survey by Baltijos Tyrimai commissioned by LRT has found.
According to the survey, 90 percent of Lithuanians have a favourable opinion of Poland, followed by Germany (82 percent), Ukraine, the UK, the US, and France (81 percent each).
In February, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 88 percent of Lithuanians had a favourable opinion of Poland, followed by France (83 percent), Germany (81 percent), Ukraine (80 percent), the UK (78 percent), and the US (71 percent).
The survey has also found that 90 percent of Lithuanians have an unfavourable opinion of Russia, 75 percent are of negative opinion of Belarus, and 57 percent of China.
In February, 83 percent of Lithuanians had a negative opinion of Russia, followed by Belarus (73 percent) and China (64 percent).
All about war
According to Justinas Juozaitis, a political analyst at the Lithuanian Military Academy, most Lithuanians have a favourable opinion of Poland because they see the country as an important security partner.
“Poland is a key partner for Lithuania and its national security. Why is Poland well-received by the public? Perhaps it’s because of the human ties or the appreciation of its policy towards Russia,” Juozaitis said.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has changed the way Poland is perceived by Lithuanian politicians and the public, according to Dovilė Jakniūnaitė, a politics professor at Vilnius University.
“Criticism of Poland on the rule of law was heard before, and our current coalition, especially the ruling party, is trying hard not to emphasise Poland’s problems in its dispute with the European Commission,” she said.
Jakniūnaitė also stressed that Lithuanians have a favourable opinion of Ukraine because the country is heroically defending against Russian aggression, which is also seen as a threat in Lithuania. Also, more Lithuanians now favour the US because of its strong military and financial support to Ukraine.
According to political analysts, the unfavourable assessment of Russia and Belarus in Lithuania is not surprising, as both countries are seen as aggressors in the Ukraine war.
The representative survey was carried out by the market and opinion research company Baltijos Tyrimai for LRT between November 17 and December 2.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
