Record-high share of Russians backs peace talks between Ukraine and Russia since war began – poll. INFOGRAPHICS
The number of Russian citizens who support peace talks with Ukraine and an end to hostilities has risen to a record since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
According to Censor.NET, citing The Moscow Times, these are the results of a Levada Centre survey conducted in May.
Sixty-four percent of Russians surveyed said they support peace talks between Ukraine and Russia—up six percentage points since March.
At the same time, the share of respondents who favor continuing the war has fallen to a record low of 28 percent, down from 34 percent in March.
For comparison: in May 2023, 48 percent believed combat operations should continue; by May 2024, that figure had dropped to 43 percent.
In addition, the share of supporters of peace talks is higher among women (73%), young people under 24 (77%), residents of villages and towns with a population of less than 100,000 people (67% each), as well as those who believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction (76%) and those who disapprove of the activities of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (77%).
At the same time, the majority of Russians (87%) supported the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, while 6% of respondents were against them.
Those who support peaceful dialogue are more likely to talk about the need to return POWs (24%) and the desire for peace (24%). Another 23% believe that it is necessary to end the conflict and end the war as soon as possible (23%). Those who do not support the negotiations speak of their futility in principle (41%) and the need to bring the war to an end (15%).
Among the various options for ending the war, the majority of respondents (73%) support the one where the parties first address the root causes of the conflict and only then agree on a ceasefire. Only 18% of respondents share the opposite opinion - a truce and ceasefire first, and then the rest of the issues. According to the respondents, Ukraine and European countries (36% each), the United States (14%) and the Russian side (3%) are to blame for the failure to agree on an end to the war.
