The number of respondents supporting peace talks has been steadily rising, according to the survey
Half of Ukrainians now favor a compromise to end the conflict with Russia through peace negotiations involving international mediators, a recent survey by Ukrainian pollster Socis shows.
According to a report by Ukrainskaya Pravda on Monday, the latest survey conducted in December 2024 reflects shifting public sentiment, with increasing support for a diplomatic solution after years of conflict and the changing situation on the battlefield.
According to the poll, 50.6% of respondents support negotiations involving international leaders to secure guarantees for ending the conflict. This marks a significant increase from 36.1% in February 2024.
The percentage of Ukrainians who back continuing the fight until Ukraine regains its 1991 borders, has significantly dropped from 33.5% in February 2024 to 14.7% in December 2024.
The survey also indicated that support for suspending hostilities and freezing the conflict along the current front lines has more than doubled over the year, from 8.2% to 19.5%.
According to the Socis poll, the percentage of Ukrainians advocating the restoration of borders as of February 2022 has remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 8.6% and 13.2% throughout the year.
The Ukrainskaya Pravda report emphasized that “one of the greatest challenges in the negotiation process” will be securing the support of both the Ukrainian public and the military for the decisions of the country’s leadership.
The outlet also cited an unnamed “influential” member of Vladimir Zelensky’s team, who stated that one major priority is securing “some kind of agreement on guarantees with the US, which would be ratified by Congress.” Another key task, according to the official, is resisting Russian demands for Ukraine’s neutrality.
Zelensky stated earlier that at least 200,000 “European peacekeepers” would be needed to uphold a ceasefire.
Moscow has dismissed the idea of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine, which has come to the fore in recent weeks following US President Donald Trump’s pledge to pursue a swift resolution to the conflict. Since his inauguration last week, Trump has called on Moscow to strike a deal with Kiev or face new sanctions, but maintained that he is “not looking to hurt Russia.” Trump has reportedly given his new Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, 100 days to finalize a settlement. According to the Kremlin, however, it has so far received no specific proposals from Washington.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine broke down in the spring of 2022, with both sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine must become a neutral country and renounce claims to new Russian regions for any peace talks to succeed.
Moscow has since repeatedly voiced readiness to resume talks, firmly rejecting the idea of a temporary freeze to the conflict, which it says would only help Ukraine to rearm.
Kiev must give up its ambitions to join NATO, demilitarize, denazify, and abandon plans to obtain nuclear weapons, Moscow has insisted.
