Poles Support NATO Presence in Eastern Europe More Than US Citizens - Poll

A higher percentage of Poles (49 percent) than US citizens (42 percent) believe that the presence of NATO command units in Eastern Europe will increase security in the region, a recent survey conducted by Populus exclusively for Sputnik revealed Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In early 2015, NATO announced that it would establish six command units in Eastern Europe, namely in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. The command units are expected to begin operating by July 2016.

According to the poll, some 38 percent of Hungarians view an additional presence of NATO units in Eastern Europe as being potentially beneficial, while only 28 of German and 26 percent of French citizens consider such a move as likely to contribute to increased security in the region.

The survey, conducted on September 25-October 15, involved some 8,000 respondents, corresponding to 1,000 in each of the following states: the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland.

In 2014, NATO accused Russia of meddling in the Ukrainian conflict and began to reinforce its military presence in Eastern Europe.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the Ukraine-related accusations and stated that NATO's increased activities near Russian borders threaten regional and global stability.

The international public opinion project Sputnik.Polls kicked off in January 2015, in partnership with Populus, a founding member of the British Polling Council. The project involves regular surveys in the United States and Europe on high-profile social and political issues.