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77% of Ukrainians positive about 30-day ceasefire, poll shows

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77% of Ukrainians positive about 30-day ceasefire, poll shows
A woman wrapped in a Ukrainian flag stands in front of the war memorial to Ukrainian soldiers fallen during the ongoing war on Feb. 18, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Zinchenko / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Around 77% of Ukrainians view the proposed 30-day ceasefire positively, according to an Omnibus opinion poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology and published on March 25.

In turn, 17% of Ukrainians expressed negative views toward the idea: 8% believe it would weaken Ukraine, 7% see it as a desperate move by the Ukrainian authorities due to the challenging situation at the front, and 2% consider it a step toward Ukraine's surrender.

The U.S. and Ukraine initially supported a broader 30-day ceasefire, including a halt to ground operations, but Russia rejected the proposal unless it included conditions that would weaken Ukraine's defense capabilities, such as a suspension of foreign military aid.

Before the proposed conditions, 47% of respondents who viewed the ceasefire positively believed it would expose Russia's unwillingness to negotiate in good faith.

Between March 19 and March 21, opposition to Russia's ceasefire conditions increased sharply. Around 79% of respondents deemed Russia's conditions categorically unacceptable, while only 16% were willing to consider them, including 14% who found the terms difficult but not entirely dismissible.

The Kremlin later claimed that it had ordered a 30-day halt to strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure following a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kyiv also supported a mutual halt on energy strikes but later accused Russia of continuing attacks on civilian targets.

An overwhelming 82% of Ukrainians believe Kyiv should continue fighting regardless of external circumstances. Even in the event of a complete halt on U.S. military support, only 8% said they would lean toward surrender.

If the ceasefire comes without security guarantees, 62% would strongly oppose it, while 32% would reluctantly support it. Should Ukraine secure even minimal security guarantees, more than half of respondents would accept the truce.

The poll was conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) using a random sample of mobile phone numbers across government-controlled regions of Ukraine. A total of 1,326 respondents were interviewed.

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Tim Zadorozhnyy

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Tim Zadorozhnyy is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. He studied International Relations and European Studies at Lazarski University and Coventry University. Tim began his journalism career in Odesa in 2022 as a reporter for a local television channel. He later spent a year and a half at the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, first as a news anchor and later as a managing editor. He is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

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