Majority of Ukrainians reject Putin’s peace terms despite openness to negotiations – poll

The latest survey by the Razumkov Centre shows that 44% of Ukrainians in the rear believe it's time for peace talks with Russia, while over 80% oppose withdrawing troops from occupied oblasts.

Jul 16, 2024 - 08:02
Majority of Ukrainians reject Putin’s peace terms despite openness to negotiations – poll

ukrainians

A recent survey conducted by the Razumkov Centre for ZN.UA reveals a significant shift in Ukrainian public opinion regarding negotiations with Russia.

According to the poll, 44% of Ukrainians in the rear believe it is time to start official peace talks with Russia, while 35% disagree and 21% are undecided.

This marks a notable change from a similar survey in 2023, which found that 64% of Ukrainians opposed direct negotiations with Russia to achieve peace. At that time, only 23.1% supported such negotiations.

Despite the increased openness to talks, most Ukrainians across all regions reject Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposed terms. The survey reports that 83% of respondents oppose withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts within their administrative borders. Similarly, 84% are against ceding these areas to Russia.

“77% of Ukraine’s residents cannot agree that all Western sanctions against Russia should be lifted,” ZN.UA reports.

The poll also found that 58% of respondents disagree with Putin’s demand to enshrine Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status in its constitution, while 22% support this idea.

The Razumkov Centre conducted the survey from 20 to 28 June 2024, polling individuals not serving on the frontlines.

“It is currently impossible to study the opinion of the army, which bears the full burden of the war and has the right to if not a decisive, then the most significant voice in negotiations with Russia. Therefore, the study’s results cannot be considered the opinion of the entire country. This is the opinion of the rear,” ZN.UA emphasizes.

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