Ukrainians shift towards peace talks as war fatigue grows
According to research by the Gallup Institute, more than half of Ukrainians favour starting peace negotiations with Russia as soon as possible to end the ongoing war. Meanwhile, 38% of respondents believe the army should fight until victory. Experts note a significant change in attitudes compared to the conflict’s beginning.
At the start of the conflict, 73% of those surveyed supported fighting. The report published on Tuesday indicates that war fatigue has intensified this year, affecting social sentiments.
Support for military action began to decline already in 2023, when twice as many people (63%) favoured continuing the fight rather than negotiating peace (27%). Currently, for the first time, the majority of respondents express a desire for a peaceful resolution.
Residents in the east want the war to end quickly
A drop in support to below 50% for continuing the war has been noted in all regions of Ukraine, including the east and south, where the front line runs. The largest decrease was recorded in Kyiv - by as much as 39 percentage points. In the eastern regions, more than twice as many respondents (63%) want a quick end to the war than its continuation (27%).
The survey also showed that 52% of Ukrainians are ready to accept a peaceful solution involving certain territorial concessions to end the conflict. 38% of respondents opposed this idea, while 10% had no opinion. However, the Gallup Institute did not specify what specific territorial concessions are involved.
In 2022 and 2023, a decisive majority of Ukrainians (92% and 93% respectively) supported continuing the fight until all territories lost since 2014, including Crimea, are regained. This year, the number has fallen to 81%, which still represents a clear majority but indicates growing war fatigue among the public.
Respondents who favour starting peace negotiations quickly pointed to European Union countries (70%) and the United Kingdom (63%) as the main powers that could help achieve this goal. Less than half of those surveyed see the United States in this role.
The public opinion poll was conducted by the Gallup Institute - the oldest and most well-known public opinion research institute in the world, operating since 1935 - in August and October of this year.
