According to a survey conducted in late July by the Public Opinion Research Center, known by the Russian acronym VTsIOM, 44% believe the Russia-Ukraine brotherhood is unlikely to ever be restored while 35% expect Ukraine again to become a close ally of Russia.
Some 12% of those surveyed said relations between the two countries would only deteriorate in the future, while the remaining 9% gave the "don't know" answer.
Two-thirds (67%) of the respondents believe the relationship has been deteriorating since pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko took the Ukrainian presidency. However, the majority (63%) see Russia's post-Soviet neighbor as a friendly nation or a major economic and strategic partner.
About 56% oppose Ukraine's plans to enter NATO and only 8% support the idea.
Slightly more than a half of the respondents (51%) also object to reciprocal visa regimes being introduced between the two countries.
As for Ukraine's bid to join the European Union, the survey has shown that 36% of Russians do not care, while 22% favor the prospect and 22% are opposed to it.
Some 1,600 adults from 153 urban and rural communities across Russia were interviewed for the VTsIOM survey. The reported margin of error is less than 3.4%.
