A survey of nearly 1,700 Ukrainians say they want their country to remain united, even as divisions remain about Russia’s influence and regional differences highlight tensions over the government in Kiev, a poll released yesterday found.

In a survey in Ukraine last month, 77 per cent said they wanted the nation’s borders to remain intact while 14 per cent said parts of the country should be allowed to secede, the Washington-based Pew Research Centre poll showed.

But the survey, taken after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March and before recent violence erupted across southern and eastern Ukraine, also showed a clear east-west split on the issue. While 93 per cent of those in the west said the country should remain united, 70 per cent of those in the eastern regions agreed. Pew researchers wrote: “A clear majority of Ukrainians agree that their country should remain a single, unified state... The survey in Ukraine also finds a clearly negative reaction to the role Russia is playing in the country.”

Ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians largely have favourable views of one another

The poll comes ahead of the May 25 presidential elections, which Western governments hope can help restore calm in Ukraine and increase the legitimacy of the authorities in Kiev. Pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine have also vowed to hold a referendum on self-rule on Sunday.

While Pew found “that ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians largely have favourable views of one another,” it said the results also “showed stark regional divides, especially when it comes to the issues of official languages and governance.”

Overall, nearly half of those polled said the current government in Kiev had a good influence on the country’s directions while 41 per cent disagreed.

But in western Ukraine, home to Kiev, 60 per cent said they were happy with the government and 67 per cent of those polled in the east said the government was pulling the country in a bad direction.