The news
A poll published Monday found that more than two in five Ukrainians support starting formal peace negotiations with Russia, amid mounting international and domestic concerns about Ukraine’s ability to win outright on the battlefield.
The pollconducted by the Ukraine-based think tank Razumkov Center and local newspaper Mirror of the Week, found that 44% of 2,027 respondents wanted to open talks to end the war. Another 35% said it was not yet time to negotiate, while 21% were unsure.
The results reflect declining optimism about a lasting peace: more than 80% of respondents said Putin would only agree to an end to the war on his own terms, and an overwhelming majority described those terms as unacceptable.
Other recent polls have a growing desire to negotiate to end the war. But experts in the field of Carnegie Foundation said the data should not be interpreted as Ukrainians being ready to give up. Most Ukrainians willing to negotiate see talks starting after Kiev gains a strong position on the battlefield, they argued, based on separate polling data.
Zelenskyy is doubling down on diplomacy. On Monday, he proposed a new peace summit in November, where Russia would also be represented. Russia does not plan to attend the summit.
