What conditions Ukrainians see for start of talks with Russia: Survey results

He shared these findings on Espreso TV.

"When we talk about changes in the mood of Ukrainians, I would say that our expectations have become more realistic. We now see that the war may drag on, and the number of Ukrainians who believe victory is possible, but let's say in two years, is growing. The number of people who understand what victory means differently is also increasing. A survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation on the prospects for starting peace talks showed that 73% of respondents said Russia must fulfill certain conditions to start negotiations," said Oleksii Haran.

According to him, Ukrainians have different ideas about the conditions for peace talks. The survey asked respondents to choose the conditions under which they would consider it acceptable to start peace talks with Russia.

"According to the survey, 47% of Ukrainians said the withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territory should be a key condition. This is the maximum goal, the more radical demand. At the start of the full-scale war, we hoped to achieve this, but now it’s clear that such prospects are not as obvious. The other part of the respondents chose much more moderate conditions under which Ukraine could begin negotiations. Multiple answers were allowed, so the total will exceed 100%. The condition that topped the list, with 54% of the vote, was for Russia to stop shelling Ukrainian territories that are not occupied and where there are no active hostilities. This is a much more grounded demand. Therefore, the cessation of shelling is the minimum Ukrainians are willing to accept," the political analyst explained.

Haran concluded that, in general, Ukrainians are not in favor of freezing the war with Russia controlling the occupied territories. However, for negotiations to begin, a significant number of people support the cessation of shelling, which could be seen as a step toward initiating peace talks.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted that Ukraine must give up its territories, once again proving that Russia has no interest in genuine negotiations. This conclusion comes from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which analyzed Lavrov's remarks during his interview with TASS.