Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has fallen for the lowest in two decades amid his invasion of neighboring Ukraine, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 18 countries.
The poll, published Wednesday, surveyed more than 23,000 adults in 18 countries between mid-February and mid-May, and found that the Russian president has become the world’s most unpopular leader.
Most of the interviews conducted by the American organization took place after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24.
On average, 90 percent of respondents said they did not trust Putin to “do the right thing” in world affairs, while almost eight out of 10 (78 percent) said they did not believe in the Russian leader at all.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level in two decades amid his invasion of neighboring Ukraine. In this combo image, left, Vladimir Putin in Poland on a two-day official visit aimed at repairing ties between the two former Cold War allies, January 16, 2002 in Warsaw, Poland and right, Vladimir Putin attends the state awards ceremony. awards at the Grand Kremlin Palace, June 12, 2022. Getty
Pew noted that over the past 20 years, Putin’s global ratings have declined in many countries, but this year, amid the war in Ukraine: “These numbers have reached record lows in any nation where there are trends,” with double-digit declines in most the last year of the organization’s study.
Those who support the country’s right-wing populist parties are more likely to be confident of Putin’s actions, the study said. For example, among Greeks who have a positive view of the Greek ruling party, just over half, or 55 percent, say they trust Putin’s government on international affairs.
The Russian leader still suffered a decline in popularity this year compared to 2021 among those who support his country’s right-wing populist parties, Pew said.
Malaysia was the only country where the majority of participants expressed confidence in Putin.
Pew’s latest report includes data from a study in the United States, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
The collapse of Putin’s global rating comes amid his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, just under the four-month mark, and as Russian forces step up their offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass, hoping to capture the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in full.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast Governor Sergei Gaidai told his Telegram channel that Russian troops had taken the villages of Loskutivka and Rai-Aleksandrovka in Luhansk Oblast, a day after the capture of Toshkivka, Podlisne and Mirna Dolina.
However, the UK Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence update on Wednesday that Russia’s efforts to achieve a deeper environment for the capture of the Western Donetsk region “remain stagnant” at the moment.
Newsweek contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
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