Europeans who support right-wing populist parties tend to have warmer views of Russia and Putin. Some feel especially favorably toward NATO, while others feel especially unfavorably.

Over time, our polling has shown that Europeans who support right-wing populist parties tend to have more positive views than others when it comes to Russia and President Vladimir Putin. The opposite is true, however, for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who right-wing populists tend to view more negatively. We find similar patterns along ideological lines outside of Europe.

Here are some findings on these differences from a 37-country survey conducted Feb. 8-May 13, 2026, among 45,658 adults in 37 countries.