Ukraine updates: Russia should be at peace talks — Zelenskyy – DW – 07/15/2024

A relative majority of Ukrainians are in favor of starting peace negotiations with Russia, according to a survey published by the Ukrainian weekly newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia.

Not included in the survey were people who reside on the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, or other areas of the east and south of the country under Russian control.

The survey found that 43.9% of Ukrainians in Kyiv-controlled areas considered that “the time has come for the start of official peace talks between Ukraine and Russia,” compared with 35% who were against launching negotiations and 21% who were undecided.

Southern regions of Ukraine showed the largest support for starting peace talks, at around 60%, whereas nearly half of those residing in central regions were in favor of negotiations.

In the west of the country — seen as a stronghold of the Ukrainian-speaking population that has traditionally voted for Ukrainian nationalist and pro-Western parties — only 35% of the population was in favor of starting peace talks with Moscow.

The lowest support for negotiations was registered in Ukraine’s eastern regions, where 34% were in favor of talks.

Ukrainian officials say the front line in the eastern region of Donetsk has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the war.

A large majority of the people surveyed rejected the demands made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in order for the war to end.

In June, Putin said Russia would agree to a cease-fire and enter peace talks if Ukraine were to withdraw its troops from four regions in the south and east that Moscow claims to have annexed. Of the four regions, only Luhansk is largely controlled by Russian forces.

Almost 83% of the people surveyed opposed a Ukrainian withdrawal from regions claimed by Russia.

Russia’s president also demanded that Kyiv relinquish any ambitions of joining the NATO military alliance. Nearly 59% of the population was against enshrining military nonalignment in Ukraine’s constitution, according to the survey.