Most Ukrainians Do Not Believe in Lasting Peace and Oppose Troop Withdrawal from Donbas, Poll Shows
Seventy percent of Ukrainians do not believe that current negotiations will lead to lasting peace. In addition, more than half of respondents oppose the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas even if security guarantees are provided.
These findings come from a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
According to sociologists, 70% of respondents do not believe that the current trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine will result in long-term peace.
“25% believe in it. The remaining 5% were undecided. Compared with mid-January 2026, there have been no changes on this question,” the institute reported.
The survey results also show that 57% of Ukrainians are categorically against withdrawing troops from Donbas in exchange for security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe.
Overall, 36% of respondents were ready to support such a proposal (mostly reluctantly), while another 7% were undecided or refused to answer.
KIIS noted that this question was first asked in mid-January 2026, then repeated at the end of January and in mid-February. At the end of January, 52% were categorically against the initiative, and 40% were generally willing to support it. In mid-January, these figures were 54% and 38%, respectively.
Sociologists emphasize that over the past month, public sentiment has not changed significantly. In particular, there has been no increase in willingness to agree to troop withdrawals.
Analyzing the balance of responses (share of those categorically against minus share generally in favor), it stands at +21% against in mid-February, compared with +12% at the end of January and +15% in mid-January.
KIIS also highlighted that the question did not imply official recognition of Donbas as part of Russia or a final renunciation of these territories by Ukraine. Likely, if such a condition were explicitly formulated, support would be even lower.
The survey was conducted from February 12–24, 2026, using telephone interviews based on a random sample of mobile numbers across all regions of Ukraine controlled by the government. A total of 2,004 respondents aged 18 and older were surveyed.
For reference, according to the latest poll by the Kyiv Security Forum, Ukrainians remain divided on the borders and conditions that should be met for a peace agreement with Russia.
Over the past year, Ukrainians have shown even stronger support for joining the EU and NATO: 83% support EU membership and 71% support NATO membership. These are record levels in the entire observation period, while about 11% and 18%, respectively, oppose membership, according to a sociological study conducted by the Razumkov Center for the Kyiv Security Forum ahead of the Munich Security Conference, held February 13–15.
