Majority of German Citizens Oppose Ukraine's Possible Accession to NATO - Poll

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A majority of German citizens oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by a German news agency ahead of a possible visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Berlin.

As many as 54% of respondents spoke against Ukraine's possible NATO membership, whereas just 27% of German citizens supported Kiev's accession to the alliance, the poll showed.

When asked about the Ukrainian conflict and ways to resolve it, 55% of respondents are in favor of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev, with 28% against negotiations, according to the survey.

The news agency gave no details regarding the number of respondents and the exact date when the poll was conducted, only saying it had been carried out just before Zelensky's planned visit to Germany.

Earlier in the month, the Berliner Tageszeitung daily reported, citing an unnamed police member as the source, that Zelensky was expected to come to Berlin on May 13 and meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz before going to Aachen, where he will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize.

The Ukrainian presidential office called the leak irresponsible. It told German media that the state trip could be canceled over security concerns.

In September, Zelensky announced that Ukraine was applying to be fast-tracked to join NATO. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was closely monitoring the situation and recalled that Kiev's leaning toward the alliance was one of the reasons for the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.