Ukrainians' confidence in a prosperous European future has turned negative, according to recent polling data by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

The survey tracing views from October 2022 through mid-2025, the survey asked respondents how they saw Ukraine's future in ten years.

In 2022 the overwhelming majority (88%) were optimism and believed Ukraine would be flourishing as a member of the EU in ten years time.

This June after living through more than three years of war with no end to the conflict in sight and having witnessed the massive destruction wrought on the country by Russia, 47% now believe in ten years the country will have a ruined economy  and a large outflow of people, against the 43% that still believe in the prosperous European future.

Each year the war has gone on, the more the pessimism has grown, but it has only been this year that the pessimists outnumber the optimists.

There was a brief rebound in hopes for the end of the war after ceasefire talks kicked off in Riyadh on February 18 for talks brokered by the Trump administration. However, by April those hopes died again when talks in London failed and currently negotiations are dead in the water.

And the destruction is increasing following a devastating Russian missile barrage in May began, targeting Ukrainian cities and military installations, that has intensified as a missile war gets underway. Ukraine has fought back valiantly during the drone war period fight over the last two years, but Russia has invested heavily into its military production and is now switching tactics to take advantage of its overwhelming superiority in missile production. This change comes at a time when the US decided to halt all new weapons deliveries, including the crucial supplies of air defence ammo and the key Patriot missile system, although that decision may have been reversed by US President Donald Trump this week.