A Record 64% of Russians Support Peace Talks, Up 6% Since March

That Russian citizens' support for peace negotiations and an end to the war in Ukraine has gone up significantly in the past few months and is now at a record high is interesting in itself. 

But who wants peace may be even more interesting: young people, women and those who live in smaller towns (where most of the recruits and casualties come from). Continued support for the war is higher among Moscow residents (relatively untouched by it) and those 55 or older. All of which suggests that a reckoning may be coming. JL

Kateryna Hodunova reports in the Kyiv Independent:

The number of Russians who support peace talks and an end to the war in Ukraine has reached a record high. 64% favor peace talks, a 6% increase since March. The number who support the war's continuation decreased from 34% to 28%. Support of peace negotiations is higher among women (73%), people under 24 (77%), towns with populations under 100,000 (67%), those who believe the country is going in the wrong direction (76%) and those who disapprove of Putin's performance (77%). Support for the war is higher among men (39%), those aged 55 and older (35%), residents of Moscow (40%), those who believe the country is going in the right direction (32%), and who approve of the president (30%).

The number of Russian citizens who support peace talks and an end to the war in Ukraine has reached a record high since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to a poll by the independent Russian pollster Levada Center published on June 2.

Some 64% of the respondents favored peace talks, representing a 6% increase since March. Meanwhile, the number of people who supported the war's continuation decreased from 34% in March to 28% in May.

Compared to previous survey results, in May 2023, 48% of respondents believed that the war should continue. In May 2024, this figure dropped to 43%.

The news comes after the second round of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia occurred in Istanbul. The parties agreed on a new prisoner exchange, as well as the repatriation of 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. No agreement on a ceasefire was reached.

 

The share of supporters of peaceful negotiations is higher among women (73%), people under 24 (77%), residents of villages and towns with populations under 100,000 (67% each), as well as those who believe that the country is going in the wrong direction (76%) and those who disapprove of Russian President Vladimir Putin's presidential performance (77%).

The share of those who support continuing the war is higher among men (39%), respondents aged 55 and older (35%), residents of Moscow (40%), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (32%), and those who approve of the activities of the current president (30%).

A majority of respondents (73%) believe that Russia and Ukraine should address the hostilities' root causes and only then agree on a ceasefire. On the contrary, some 18% think that the parties will first reach a truce and ceasefire and then resolve all other issues.

Only 3% of Russians believe Russia is an obstacle to peace. At the same time, 14% of respondents believe that the U.S. is to blame, while 36% each see Ukraine and European countries as major obstacles in peace negotiations.

The center conducted the survey from May 22 to 28, involving 1,613 people aged 18 and older in 50 regions of Russia.