Germans have overtaken Americas to become the most hated by Russians, according to a poll by independent pollster, the Levada Centre.

Despite being in a full-scale war with Ukraine, Ukrainians only polled at number four after the UK, according to the survey taken on May 22-28.

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has had a positive impact on his public perception Russia as he fails to press Russia with new sanctions and has largely followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s requests for sanctions relief and halted financial and military aid to Ukraine. Fewer Russians now identifying the US as their country’s principal enemy, according to the survey released on June 6.

The share of Russian respondents naming the US as the most hostile country dropped to 40% in 2025, down from 76% in 2024. For the first time in 13 years, the US fell from first to fourth place on the list of perceived enemies, behind Germany (55%), the United Kingdom (49%) and Ukraine (43%).

The decline comes amid renewed speculation in Moscow over a possible diplomatic opening with Washington. “Russian favourability toward the US nearly doubled,” the Levada Center said, citing data from March, shortly after Trump’s inauguration and his campaign pledge to swiftly end the war in Ukraine.

Russian state media have presented Trump as a “pragmatic leader” open to dialogue, in contrast to previous US administrations. America has also suffered as Putin has successfully sold the public the war as an attack on Russia by Nato, led by the US, who are fighting through their proxies in Ukraine.

Following the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, US favourability among Russians dropped sharply after then-President George W. Bush condemned Moscow’s actions and sent humanitarian aid to Georgia. Sentiment rebounded later, peaking at 63% in 2011. A similar downturn occurred after the 2014 annexation of Crimea, when the US imposed sanctions against Russia in response to Moscow’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, The Moscow Times reports.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Russians continue to view Belarus (80%), China (64%), Kazakhstan (36%), India (32%) and North Korea (30%) as their country’s “closest friends and allies”. These rankings are largely consistent with last year’s results, though the share of respondents citing North Korea nearly doubled. State media in Russia recently credited North Korean troops with helping to “liberate” the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces.

By contrast, support for Iran declined sharply, with only 11% now identifying it as a top ally, down from 22% in 2024.