Peace without cessions of territory
Huge majority of Ukrainians against compromises
08/23/2023 01:28 am
Even almost 18 months after the start of the war, people are united on one issue: no national territory will be given up for peace with Russia. But a new survey also shows that Ukrainians’ optimism is dwindling.
In Ukraine, an overwhelming majority voted against making compromises with wartime opponent Russia in exchange for a peace deal. The one published on Tuesday results According to two well-known institutes, more than 90 percent of the approximately 2,000 respondents were against the transfer of territory. Almost 74 percent ruled out a possible NATO membership as a prerequisite for an end to the war. A reduction in the number of troops in the army in peacetime was rejected by 80 percent.
At the same time, only just under 49 percent of Ukrainians saw a positive development of events in their own country. In December last year, after the successful expulsion of the Russian occupiers from northern Ukraine and large parts of the Kharkiv and Cherson regions, almost 60 percent still believed that.
Ukraine has been repelling a Russian invasion for almost 18 months with massive Western aid. Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede occupied territories in the east and south of the country, including the Crimean Peninsula annexed in 2014, as a condition of peace talks. Ukraine should also refrain from joining the western military alliance NATO, which is enshrined in the constitution. In addition, Kiev should agree to extensive demilitarization and grant the Russian minority in the country more rights.
Medvedev clearly states goals
Moscow currently controls almost 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory. At a panel discussion, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s chief of staff also brought up the possibility of Ukraine ceding territory in order to end the war. Only at the weekend did former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev make it clear once again that from the Russian point of view this would only be a tactical, temporary peace: According to him, Russia’s long-term goal is still to overthrow the government in Kiev and Ukraine completely to bring it under control and install a puppet state. If it takes years or even decades, so be it, Medvedev wrote.
The survey was conducted from August 9 to 15 in the government-controlled regions excluding Luhansk Oblast, Donetsk Oblast and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. In total, 2019 adult Ukrainians were personally interviewed. The error tolerance should be a maximum of 2.3 percent.