More Ukrainians agree to give up territories for peace – NRK Urix – Foreign News & Documentaries

“We have to end the war. It's a difficult question, but I think we have to give up the territories,” says 17-year-old Nazarig Brontenko.

– Look around. Every flag here represents a dead soldier. You must be finished.

Nazarig stands on Maidan Square in the heart of Kyiv.

What was once grass is now covered in thousands of tiny Ukrainian flags. And the war doesn't look like it's going to end anytime soon.

They came with their mother, Tijana Brontenko, to plant more flags.

More and more Ukrainians agreed with the Nazaricks. For the vast majority of Ukrainians, giving up territory to Russia to end the war was completely out of the question.

But over the past year, many have changed their minds.

Today, 1 in 3 Ukrainians say they would be willing to give up territory to end the war. A year ago, only 1 in 10 said they would do so, a new study shows. to examine.

Mama Tetiana shakes her head when she hears what her son is saying.

– We cannot give up any territory. I cannot agree to that. Think of all those who gave their lives for Ukraine, for our borders, for our independence.

big change

But the fact that so many have changed their minds in the past year is noteworthy.

“This is a big change,” says Anton Grokhitsky. He is a director at Kiev International Institute of Sociology.

Over the past two years, he has been periodically asking Ukrainians how they feel about the issue.

During the first year of all-out war, only 10 percent agreed. The new poll shows that 32 percent would give up territory for peace. For 55 percent, that is still not an option at all.

He points to two main reasons. Both revolve around the Ukrainians feeling deeply disappointed.

• Ukraine's failed counteroffensive last summer
• Unfulfilled arms shipments from Western countries

– A year ago, Ukrainians were full of hope. In particular, there were high expectations that Russian forces would be defeated in the much-discussed Ukrainian offensive, says Grokhetsky. That did not happen.

Ukrainians were also deeply disappointed when U.S. arms aid was halted for several months this winter because of disagreement with American politicians. For Ukrainians, this was a tragedy. Many people were killed because we did not get the support we needed, says Grokhetsky.

Peace but not at any cost

But the poll doesn’t show that Ukrainians have given up. Ukrainians are looking for ways to end the war. And Grokhetsky says they are more willing to find diplomatic solutions.

He says today 57% want to negotiate with Russia.

But Ukrainians do not want peace at any price.

Those who agree to hand over the territories are quite clear about one thing.

– They want security guarantees. Ukrainians need to be convinced that Russia will not attack again. It could be NATO membership, Western military bases on Ukrainian territory, or observers guarding the border, says Grokhetsky.

Those who want negotiations are also clear that they will not give up Ukraine's future membership in NATO or the European Union.

More than 100 flags

Back at the square, Nazrig and her mother Titjana are busy putting up new flags. Today they have 105.

They make the trip several times a week. It’s unclear how many soldiers have been killed in Ukraine. Zelensky said in February that 31,000 people had been killed. The figure is likely much higher.

Tetyana says her relatives from all over Ukraine call her every day asking her to put up a flag in memory of their loved ones.

It all started when Tijana felt she had to do something. She posted a message on social media asking interested people to reach out to her.

“We will never get them back,” she says. “We have to honor those who defend us.”