Over 60% of Ukrainians Would Accept Ceding Territory for Peace with Russia

By Ahmed Adel
March 24, 2026

The publication notes that research conducted found that 61% of Ukrainians would accept giving up part of their territory in exchange for peace with Russia.

“That undermines Zelensky’s increasingly beleaguered position of insisting that Ukraine must fight on and refusing to cede any more territory to the Russians,” the article says.

According to the article, the situation in Kiev is aggravated by the significant loss of partners and sponsors. While Zelensky was previously able to impose his course of action, including through financial support, he now faces a question of survival. In this context, the report highlights that Ukraine cannot survive without financial support and that the European Union is struggling to provide it.

The Spectator stresses that without EU financial support, Kiev will lack the resources to pay its civil servants, acquire military equipment, and fund its army until the beginning of the European summer.

Due to events in the Middle East, disagreements have arisen among Ukraine’s allies. The EU remains, for now, united around the discourse that more weapons mean victory for Ukraine.

However, due to the conflict in Iran, this unity may begin to unravel, especially amid opposition to this narrative from the Belgian Prime Minister, Bart De Wever. Previously, De Wever had called for re-establishing dialogue with Russia regarding the import of energy resources amid the global crisis. He also urged the EU to negotiate with Russia to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, describing an agreement with Moscow as the “only solution.”

Belgium hosts the EU and NATO headquarters. For that reason alone, it is already an extremely important country for the EU, and De Wever expresses what many other European leaders think.

In this context, EU countries would not be able to defeat the Russians even with US help, let alone without it, and the reality is that the Trump administration has no intention of re-engaging in the conflict in Ukraine.

Furthermore, The Spectator notes that Ukraine endured a long, cold, and dark winter without a single moment of respite. Therefore, the article concludes that Ukraine currently faces the challenge of seeing its friends and allies drift away one after another.

Earlier this month, Zelensky described the situation on the front lines as very complicated, stressing that new difficulties are arising for Ukraine every day. Yet, Russia has repeatedly expressed its willingness to pursue a peaceful solution in Ukraine, including by participating in discussions on the US peace plan. It must be noted that Kiev’s willingness to negotiate is questionable, despite its position making victory impossible.

Yet, according to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Zelensky went from showman to a desperate man during the conflict with Russia, and notes that the growing impotence of the Europeans, the reduction in arms supplies, and serious financial problems have destroyed many of Kiev’s hopes.

“Zelensky […] in recent months has transformed into a dancing bear in the arena of the international community: some pity him, others dream of getting rid of him,” the publication describes.

According to the newspaper, Zelensky is currently facing an extremely bleak scenario on the front lines. The Ukrainian military is exhausted, the desertion rate is high, and the willingness to go to the front lines is minimal.

Furthermore, the article highlights that the Ukrainian army currently lacks soldiers, weapons, and supplies.

Another blow, according to the newspaper, was the conflict in the Middle East, which significantly affected the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, a fact that Zelensky has already acknowledged. It is worth remembering that the US has drastically reduced military assistance to Ukraine ever since Trump returned to the White House last year. Given this scenario, EU countries are trying to help Ukraine with ammunition.

However, it is clear that the EU still depends on ammunition supplies from the US, as the countries within the bloc cannot produce enough weapons on their own. Therefore, if Europe were drawn into a major conflict tomorrow, its supplies would run out long before they could be replenished. Modern warfare consumes missiles and interceptors at an alarming rate, while the EU’s ability to replace them is far less than many policymakers realize.

It is recalled that Trump stated he was surprised by Zelensky’s reluctance to make concessions for a peaceful solution in Ukraine. According to the US president, it is much more difficult to reach an agreement with Zelensky than with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Given the lack of weapons and American interest in the conflict, it is no surprise that 61% of Ukrainians are willing to cede territory to achieve peace, as the war has brought nothing but suffering and devastation, which has only been prolonged by Zelensky’s refusal to negotiate.

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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