Most Europeans consider Russia their ally

Most Europeans consider Russia to be an ally. This was the result of a recent survey carried out by the Agency for Social Information at the request of Rosbalt news agency. 60% of the respondents said they believe Russia is an ally of their country, 18% said they believe Russia is 'sooner an ally than an enemy' of their country, 19% said they believe Russia is a neutral state while 2% said they think Russia is 'sooner an enemy than an ally' and 1% consider Russia an enemy of their country.

The residents of Oslo (94%) and Madrid (93%) are most confident that Russia is an ally of their country. 82% of the residents of Hamburg also consider Russia to be their ally. In Helsinki the figure was 80% and in Brussels and London it was 77%. Fewer people consider Russia an ally in Vienna (69%), Copenhagen (66%) and Stockholm (64%).

1500 people from 12 Western European cities took part in the survey, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Vienna, Hamburg, Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Stockholm and Helsinki. The survey was carried out in the languages of participating countries between April 20 and May 5, 2003.