82% Of Ukrainians Oppose Territorial Concession

May 24 (Reuters) – Eighty-two percent of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine should not sign away any of its territories as part of a peace deal with Russia under any circumstances, according to a new survey by one of the country’s top pollsters.

In the poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between May 13-18 and released on Tuesday, 82% of respondents said they did not support territorial concessions, even if it prolonged the war and increased the threat to Ukraine’s independence.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, a move Moscow calls a special military operation to “demilitarize” Ukraine.

Ten percent of the 2,000 people surveyed found it acceptable for Ukraine to concede territory to achieve peace, while eight percent were undecided. According to the poll, 77% of Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory opposed any land concessions.

Ukraine’s government has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to make any territorial concessions to Russia and has said it is not currently seeking a ceasefire despite calls from European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said that any ceasefire at present would simply delay further fighting.. (Reporting by Max Hunder Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)