Ukrainians have named the only condition for a ceasefire with Russia – a poll

This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

As part of the survey, respondents were presented with one of four possible scenarios for ending the active phase of the war.

In each case, a ceasefire was envisaged without the return of the occupied territories to Ukrainian control at the time the agreements were concluded. At the same time, none of the options envisaged official recognition of the territories seized by Russia as Russian.

The main difference between the scenarios lay in the level of security guarantees for Ukraine following the cessation of hostilities. The option receiving the least support was one in which Ukraine received no guarantees, military aid or financial support from its partners. In this case, 61% of respondents opposed ending the war on the proposed terms, whilst only 32% supported the idea.

The results for the scenario involving a symbolic presence of European military units far from the front line were not much better.

Almost half of the respondents viewed this option negatively, whilst 42% supported it. A more positive result was shown by the scenario involving large-scale assistance from allies.

If Ukraine continues to receive significant amounts of weapons, funding and other resources for defence, 53% of citizens are prepared to support a ceasefire. 

The model known as the ‘European shield’ received the highest level of approval. It involves the deployment of EU military contingents near the front line, ready to participate in the defence of Ukraine in the event of a new attack. This approach was supported by 61% of those surveyed, whilst a third of respondents were against it. 

As a reminder, it was previously reported that Ukrainians expect the war to continue for another year, but their patience is waning.

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