Negative views of Russia mainly limited to western liberal democracies, poll shows

In Asia, a majority of people were against cutting economic ties with Russia over Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Photograph: Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/Kremlin pool/EPA

The sharp polarisation between mainly western liberal democracies and the rest of the world in perceptions of Russia has been laid bare in an annual global poll of attitudes towards democracy.

Within Europe, 55% of those surveyed for the Alliance of Democracies said they were in favour of cutting economic ties with Russia due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, whereas in Asia there was a majority against, and in Latin America opinion was evenly split.