Poll Shows 32% of Ukrainians Would Accept Territorial Concessions for Peace

Another recent poll found a plurality of Ukrainians are ready for peace talks with Russia

A poll published on Tuesday found that a growing number of Ukrainians would accept ceding territory to Russia to end the war.

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) said its poll was conducted from May 16-22 and surveyed 1,067 people living in Ukrainian-controlled territory. It found that 32% of respondents agreed that Ukraine could give up territory to achieve peace as quickly as possible, while 55% opposed the idea.

While the majority oppose territorial concessions, the number of those who favor the idea has grown significantly. When KIIS asked the question in May 2023, only 10% agreed with territorial concessions for peace. In December 2023, 19% favored the idea.

Another recent poll found that a plurality of Ukrainians want peace talks with Russia to start. That poll, conducted by the Ukrainian news site Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, found that 44% of Ukrainians in areas behind the frontline believe it is time to start peace talks, while 35% are opposed to the idea, and 21% are undecided.

Since peace talks broke down in the early days of the invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the idea of negotiating with Moscow. His “peace formula” calls for Russia to withdraw from all Ukrainian territory before talks could even happen, which is a non-starter for Moscow.

Zelensky signaled he might be reconsidering his position as he recently said Russia should attend the next international summit on the war that he organizes. He previously refused to invite Russian officials to similar summits.

Former President Trump is saying that he will work out a deal to end the war if he is elected in November. ” I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families,” Trump said after a recent phone call with Zelensky.

The US and NATO have discouraged peace talks with Russia and worked to sabotage the chances of a deal when Russian and Ukrainian officials were engaged in negotiations back in March and April 2022.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.