Russia and Belarus should be unified into one state and have single leadership, nearly 25% of respondents reached by Yuri Levada Analytical Center believe. The pollster was exploring Russian citizens’ views on how Russia and Belarus should further develop their relations.
According to 44% of interviewees, the two countries should more actively cooperate in the economic field; 28% suggest the existing level of cooperation should be preserved. 13% of respondents are in favour of establishing the unified state and leadership, 10% want Belarus to become part of Russia.
“The Russians are in a state of conflict with Ukraine; it has been lasting many years. With the passage of time, people are becoming more aware of the costs of the sanctions regime against Russia, and most of them are hardly ready to sacrifice domestic development to the political integration and backing the neighbour’s economy,” rbc.ru quotes political scientist Alexander Pozhalov.
Earlier in January, the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VtsIOM) conducted a poll and said that Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka turned out to be the most popular foreign politician among the residents of Russia.
