The attitude of Ukrainians towards Romania in March 2026 is characterized by the dominance of neutral assessments against the background of a stable, albeit moderate, positive perception. According to the results of the study, the share of positive assessments increased to 48.7% compared to 46.3% in August 2025, while the level of negative attitudes remained unchanged at 7.0%.
The pattern of responses indicates a cautious but generally favorable attitude. The share of those who evaluate Romania "completely positively" is 14.9%, another 33.8% - "mostly positively". At the same time, respondents with a neutral position remain the largest group — 42.2%, which is one of the highest indicators among the countries of the region. Negative evaluations form a relatively small share: 6.5% — "mostly negative" and only 0.5% — "completely negative", another 2.1% of respondents could not decide on their answer.
This combination of a high share of neutral and moderately positive evaluations indicates the specificity of the perception of Romania in Ukrainian society. In contrast to the key Western partners, towards which a more clearly positive attitude has been formed, Romania remains a country towards which a significant part of Ukrainians does not have a formed or emotionally expressed position. This may be related to a relatively lower intensity of information presence, less public visibility in the political and media space, as well as limited personal experience of interaction for a significant part of the population. alt="">
At the same time, the dynamics of changes indicate a gradual strengthening of positive perception. The increase in the share of positive evaluations by 2.4 percentage points, in the absence of an increase in negativity, indicates a stable nature of relations, which is not accompanied by sharp fluctuations in public opinion. This distinguishes Romania from a number of other countries, where sharper changes are recorded in both positive and negative directions.
The fact that the negative attitude towards Romania remains stably low and does not show growth deserves special attention. This indicates the absence of significant conflict or crisis factors in the perception of the country that could influence public opinion. Thus, Romania is included in the group of states with a low level of rejection, which is an important indicator of the potential for further development of bilateral relations.
At the same time, a significant share of neutral responses can be considered as a kind of "window of opportunity" for strengthening the country's position in the Ukrainian information and economic space. In the absence of formed negative attitudes, it is information policy, economic interaction and humanitarian contacts that can play a decisive role in forming a clearer positive image.
"Ukrainians do not perceive the world in black and white and are quite cautious in evaluating those countries about which they have less information. Where the level of knowledge and interaction is lower, a neutral attitude is more likely to prevail. At the same time, it is in such cases that there is a potential to change the perception due to a more active presence of the country in the public space," said the director of the Active Group research company Oleksandr Pozniy.
In conclusion, we can state that Romania occupies a stable position in the perception of Ukrainians as a country without a pronounced negative image, but also without a clearly formed positive image. The growth of positive evaluations combined with a high share of neutral responses creates the prerequisites for further strengthening of bilateral relations, subject to more active interaction at the level of economy, politics and humanitarian cooperation.
