Are Ukrainians ready to cede territory for peace: results of a KIIS poll

Most Ukrainians remain categorically opposed to any territorial concessions to russia, even for the sake of a quick end to the war. According to the results of a new KIIS poll, more than half of citizens believe that Ukraine should not give up its land under any circumstances. Find out how Ukrainians' attitudes toward possible territorial losses have changed and which scenarios they categorically reject

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The majority of Ukrainians remain categorically opposed to any territorial concessions to russia in order to bring the war to a swift end. This is evidenced by the results of a new survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in September–October 2025.

The majority is in favor of preserving all territories

According to sociologists, 54% of respondents believe that Ukraine should not give up any of its territories, even if it means a longer war and greater risks to independence. In May–June, this figure was 52%, meaning that the position of Ukrainians remains stable.

At the same time, 38% of respondents expressed their willingness to accept certain territorial losses for the sake of a quicker peace — this figure has also remained unchanged since the beginning of summer.

How do Ukrainians feel about different scenarios?

When it comes to officially recognizing the occupied territories as part of russia, the vast majority of Ukrainians — 67% — are categorically opposed. Only 24% of citizens are willing to accept this option. This is almost unchanged from May–June 2025.

Even more unacceptable for Ukrainians is the transfer of territories currently controlled by Ukraine to russian control. Seventy-one percent of respondents oppose this, while only 19% would agree to it. For comparison, in May–June 2025, even more people rejected this option — 78%, while 15% were willing to accept it.

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“Freezing” the conflict is also unacceptable

When considering the option of freezing the front line without officially recognizing the occupation, the majority of Ukrainians are also opposed. Fifty-six percent categorically disagree with such a scenario, while 35% are willing to accept it.

Sociologists note that willingness to accept such a compromise has decreased from 43% in May–June to 35% in the fall. Meanwhile, the share of those who categorically oppose it has grown from 48% to 56%.

Overall, the KMIS survey shows that Ukrainian society remains steadfast in its desire to preserve territorial integrity and independence, even despite war fatigue and the protracted nature of the fighting.

We remind you! Ukraine is preparing for a winter without large-scale power outages, provided that the energy system does not suffer new attacks. Ukrenergo is restoring power generation, strengthening the protection of facilities, and expanding the possibilities for importing electricity from the EU. Read about the factors that will affect the stability of energy supplies this winter in our previous article.

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