Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

riendship monuments honoring the unification of Russia and Ukraine. A poll has shown that Ukrainians want to have good neighborly relations with Russia but do not want the unification of the two states.

A public opinion poll of 2,000 respondents that the Kyiv-based Gorshenin Institute of Management Issues conducted in 160 populated areas of Ukraine on August 10-18, 2009 showed that 70.2% of Ukrainians have positive feelings about Russia, including 22.9% treating it very positively.

Another 22.1% have bad feelings about Russia, including 10.1% strongly opposed to this country, and 7.7% are indifferent to it.

Most Ukrainians - 67.4% - visa-free trips between the two states to remain in place as a measure to bring the two peoples closer to each other. This figure has grown from 62% in January 2007.

Active cultural exchanges between the two countries are favored by 43.4% of Ukrainians (31.73% in 2007) and a common customs area by 37.1% (35.59% in 2007).

Only 13.7% favored common Ukrainian-Russian foreign policy (13.1% in 2007), 9.3% a common currency unit (10.44% in 2007), 8.1% a common legal system (4.12% in 2007), 7.6% common government bodies (3.41% in 2007), and 5.1% common armed forces (5.72% in 2007).

As many as 10.2% believe no convergence between Ukraine and Russia is needed (9.63% in 2007), and 4.6% of the respondents were undecided.