The number of Ukrainians who believe it is time to start official talks with Russia to resolve the Ukrainian conflict has almost doubled over the last year – from 23% to 44%, the US online magazine Responsible Statecraft said, citing Ukrainian sociological surveys.
In addition, the share of Ukrainians who are open to making territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for an end to the conflict has tripled – from 10% to 32% – since July 2023. The online magazine said that the new results of the opinion polls show that the public opinion in Ukraine is “more divided”.
The magazine said, “Even though there is little agreement on what the endgame will or should look like, the trend in favor of some kind of compromise is clear.”
Recently, the Ukrainians have been urging the authorities via social networks to start peace talks as soon as possible. The goal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office to “return to the 1991 borders” was said to be unrealistic.
On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin held at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry leadership where he listed conditions for the settlement of the situation in Ukraine. Among them are the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbass and Novorossiya and Kiev’s pledge not to join NATO or any other blocs. Ukraine should also remain neutral and commit to having no nuclear weapons, while sanctions against Russia should be dropped. Putin warned that if Ukraine and the West rejected these conditions, they could change in the future. Kiev rejected the Russian peace plan.