Most Ukrainians reluctantly back peace deal freezing front line with Western guarantees, poll shows
Some 74% of Ukrainians would accept a peace deal freezing hostilities along the current front line and backed by Western security guarantees, according to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) poll published on Sept. 16.
Only 18% of respondents said they could "easily agree" to this option, while 56% said it would be difficult but acceptable, and 15% ruled it out completely, according to the survey.
The plan, based on proposals from European partners and Kyiv and simplified by KIIS for survey purposes, would involve de facto accepting Russian occupation without formal recognition.
Russia currently occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukraine's territory in the south and the east, including Crimea, nearly all of Luhansk Oblast, and large parts of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
The plan would also ensure Ukraine's continued path toward EU membership, steady supplies of Western arms, closure of the skies from Russian attacks, and continued sanctions against Russia.
The news comes as now months-long U.S. push to negotiate a peace deal has brought little result, while the Kremlin continues to reject a ceasefire proposal and pushes territorial demands.
According to the poll, 75% of Ukrainians said that Russia's conditional peace proposal — including Ukraine's full withdrawal from Donetsk Oblast and a ban on NATO entry — would be "completely unacceptable."
Only 17% of respondents said they could accept Russia's demands, which also include lifting sanctions, granting official status to the Russian language in Ukraine, limiting the size of the Ukrainian military, formally recognizing Russian rule over Crimea and the Donbas region, and giving Russia a role in determining Kyiv’s final security guarantees.
The survey also found that 74% of Ukrainians believe their country can achieve victory with stronger sanctions against Russia and sufficient international support. KIIS researchers noted that this indicator has not changed significantly since last year.
Most Ukrainians — 76% — also believe that Ukraine can continue its struggle against Russia with European support even if the U.S. withdraws its backing.
About 54% of respondents said they were ready to defend Ukraine with weapons in hand, while 38% said they were "definitely not ready" or "rather not ready."
KIIS director Anton Hrushetskyi said the results show that "Ukrainians believe that Russia’s resistance is not hopeless."
At the same time, "Ukrainians demonstrate readiness to be flexible," and "are open to dialogue and open to difficult compromises," he added.
The poll was carried out between Sept. 2 and 14 using phone interviews with 1,023 respondents in Ukraine-held territories.
The peace efforts seemed to have stalled as Putin continues to avoid a meeting with Zelensky, while the three rounds of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul between May and July failed to achieve a breakthrough.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week that the negotiations with Ukraine are currently on "pause."
