NEWS FLASH -- EXTRA! EXTRA! UKRAINIANS DON'T BELIEVE ORANGE REVOLUTION WAS ABOUT WESTERN ATTACK ON RUSSIA! RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN RELATIONS NOT IN JEOPARDY! AMERICAN LEFT HAS HEART ATTACK AT DISCOVERY THAT US NOT CENTER OF UNIVERSE! :)
Poll shows Ukrainians, Russians want to cooperate, but differ over West Interfax-Ukraine
Kiev, 27 April: Equal numbers of polled Russians and Ukrainians (39.1 per cent and 38.4 per cent respectively) believe that it is in Ukraine's interest to closely cooperate with both Russia and Europe, according to a poll conducted in Ukraine by UMP and in Russia by ROMIR Monitoring in March 2005.
The poll was held among more than 3,000 people aged 18-60 in Russia and Ukraine.
The number of respondents who believe that it is necessary to cooperate more closely with Europe was higher among Ukrainians - 25.6 per cent against 19.4 per cent among Russians. The number of respondents preferring cooperation with Russia was higher among Russians - 33 per cent against 25.2 per cent among Ukrainians.
Answering a question how Ukraine's accession to the EU could influence relations between Ukraine and Russia, 20 per cent of Ukrainians and 10 per cent of Russians said that relations would improve; 33.7 per cent of Ukrainians and 46.8 per cent of Russians believe that relations would not change; and 25 per cent of both Russians and Ukrainians believe that relations would be spoilt.
Assessing political developments in Ukraine in autumn 2004, 33 per cent of Ukrainians said that the Orange Revolution replaced the corrupt regime of [President] Leonid Kuchma; 18 per cent believe this was a victory of the democratic forces over oligarchs; and 18 per cent said this was a victory of the forces linked to the West and the USA. Only 11 per cent described them as ordinary presidential elections.
Among Russians, 36.4 per cent said it was a victory of the forces linked to the West and the USA; 21.7 per cent said it was ordinary presidential elections; 18.4 per cent were of the opinion that it was the replacement of a corrupt regime; and 8.15 per cent said it was a victory of the democratic forces.
Equal numbers of Ukrainians and Russians believe that the victory of Viktor Yushchenko in the presidential elections badly affected relations between Ukraine and Russia (21.7 per cent of Ukrainians and 25.3 per cent of Russians). But the majority of the polled said that Yushchenko's victory did not affect the relations (35.8 per cent of Ukrainians and 47.7 per cent of Russians); and 20 per cent of Ukrainians and 10 per cent of Russians believe that Yushchenko's victory had a positive effect on the interstate relations.
Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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