75% of Ukrainians reject peace plan requiring withdrawal from Donbas, poll finds

A new poll found Ukrainians remain open to a peace deal with security guarantees but overwhelmingly reject a plan that would force a complete withdrawal from Donetsk Oblast.

A strong majority of Ukrainians — 75% — rejected a proposed peace plan that would involve the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas, military restrictions, and no concrete security guarantees, according to a new public opinion poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), published on Dec. 15.

Sixty-three percent of the 547 adults surveyed nationwide — a slight increase from 62% in September this year — said they were ready to endure the war "as long as necessary."

The numbers come despite a difficult situation on the front line, constant Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and strong U.S. pressure on Kyiv to accept Moscow's demands for Ukraine to withdraw from the rest of Donetsk Oblast.

Closely reflecting Kyiv's public position at talks with the U.S. and European partners, 72% of respondents said they were ready to accept a peace deal that froze territorial control at the current line of contact, included robust security guarantees, and did not involve the formal recognition of any of the occupied territories as Russian.

The poll also examined domestic political sentiments. Despite the fallout from the major corruption scandal that unfolded over the past months and resulted in the resignation of Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak, 61% of respondents said they trusted President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meanwhile, in a clear rebuttal of the persistent calls from the Trump administration, only 9% of respondents said they wanted elections before the end of hostilities.

The survey was conducted via telephone interviews with 547 adult respondents living in government-controlled areas of Ukraine between Nov. 26 and Dec. 13, 2025. It did not include residents of temporarily occupied territories or those who left the country after February 2022.