Ukrainians shift towards peace talks amid war fatigue
According to Gallup Institute research, more than half of Ukrainians support initiating peace negotiations with Russia as soon as possible to end the ongoing war. In contrast, 38% of respondents believe the military should continue fighting until victory. Experts note a significant change in attitudes compared to the conflict's onset.
20 November 2024 16:44
At the start of the conflict, 73% of respondents supported fighting. The report released on Tuesday highlights that fatigue from the ongoing conflict has intensified this year, influencing a shift in public sentiment.
Support for military actions began declining in 2023 when twice as many people (63%) favoured continuing the fight as those who supported negotiating peace (27%). Now, for the first time, most respondents express a desire for a peaceful resolution.
Residents in the east want a quick end to the war
Support for continuing the war has fallen below 50% in all regions of Ukraine, including the east and south, where the front line is located. The largest decrease was 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 compared to those wishing to see its continuation (27%).
The survey also revealed that 52% of Ukrainians are willing to accept a peace solution that includes certain territorial concessions to resolve the conflict. Meanwhile, 38% disagree, and 10% have no opinion on the matter. However, the Gallup Institute did not specify which territorial concessions were in question.
In 2022 and 2023, most Ukrainians (92% and 93%, respectively) supported continuing the fight until all territories lost since 2014, including Crimea, were regained. This year, that number has dropped to 81%, still representing a clear majority but indicating growing societal fatigue with the war.
Respondents favouring swiftly starting peace negotiations pointed to the European Union countries (70%) and the United Kingdom (63%) as the main powers that could help achieve this goal. Less than half of the respondents viewed the United States in this role.
The public opinion survey 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.
