Survey finds Europeans increasingly fear direct war with Russia

More than half of citizens across major EU countries believe there is a high likelihood of war breaking out between their nation and Russia, according to a new survey released by French pollster Cluster17.

The poll, which covered nine European countries, found that a slim majority rated the risk of war as “high” or “very high”. Concerns were most pronounced in Poland, where 77 percent of respondents said they viewed the threat of conflict as significant. Anxiety was also elevated in Belgium and the Netherlands at 59 percent.

Roughly half of respondents in Germany, France and Spain shared similar concerns. Italy, Portugal and Croatia registered the lowest levels of perceived risk, with only 34 percent of Italians seeing a high chance of war.

The survey also found that just under half of Europeans view US President Donald Trump as an “enemy of Europe,” an increase of four percentage points since September. The findings were published in the Paris foreign affairs journal Le Grand Continent.

European security has become a central political issue since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Several governments have moved to bolster their readiness: France announced plans to reintroduce voluntary military service from next year, following similar decisions in Belgium and the Netherlands.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is “ready” in the event of confrontation but reiterated that Russia does not seek conflict, stating:

“We are not going to fight Europe… but if Europe suddenly wants to fight and starts, we are ready right now.”