People act rationally: sociologist explains how many Ukrainians are truly ready for "peace at any cost"

Director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Volodymyr Paniotto said that only 4% to 7% of Ukrainian citizens are truly ready for "peace at any cost" without any guarantees from either the aggressor state or allies. Ukrainians' opinions on the end of the war depend on the success of the Armed Forces at the front and partners' aid.

He said this in an interview OBOZ.UA. These are the data of the latest KIIS poll.

"If we simply say 'peace at any cost', 'peace with territorial concessions', then there are 4% to 7% such people. Others agree only if there are certain guarantees in addition to peace. In particular, this study shows that without Ukraine's accession to NATO, the majority is against territorial concessions. In different variants, joining the Alliance adds about another 20% of people who agree. That is, people are acting rationally," said Paniotto.

He also commented on the survey data, which showed that compared to February 2024, more Ukrainians are ready for territorial concessions for peace - this figure has increased from 26% to 32%.

According to the expert, this is primarily due to the situation at the frontline, as well as the pace and volume of military assistance to Ukraine from its partners.

"Since February, this percentage has indeed increased to one-third of the population, but it has not changed much since May. There have been some positive trends, such as the Ukrainian Armed Forces operation in the Kursk region, so this figure has stabilized. But the fact is that the situation is complicated and there are many options. We are measuring some individual options, so it is difficult to say what people agree or disagree with. That's why we try to ask many questions, not just one. And depending on this, people are more or less inclined to make territorial concessions," said the KIIS director.

He added that the percentage of Ukrainians truly ready for territorial concessions will decrease if the Defense Forces have success at the front and the West gives us more weapons.

"In our survey, there was another question about how long you are ready to endure the war. Approximately 73% - this figure has not changed much since 2022 - are ready to endure as long as necessary. Now this percentage has dropped to 63%. There are about 6% who are ready to endure for another year. Thus, in general, 69% of respondents are ready for a relatively long period of war. That is, this percentage is decreasing, but the majority is ready to endure it if it leads to some positive results for Ukraine," said Paniotto.

As reported, earlier, a KIIS study showed that as of October 2024, 32% of Ukrainian citizens were ready for territorial concessions for peace. Back in February, only 26% would have agreed to this. At the same time, 58% of Ukrainians oppose any territorial concessions whatsoever.

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