Most supporters of a referendum on a peace agreement support withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donbas

Half of Ukrainian citizens support holding a referendum on a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and the overwhelming majority of referendum supporters favor withdrawing troops from Donbas for the sake of peace.

This is indicated by the results of a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

50% of respondents said they support holding a referendum, while 40% are against it. At the same time, over the past two months the number of referendum supporters has decreased—from 55% in January to 50% in March. And the number of opponents has increased from 32% to 40%.

Most of those who support holding a referendum also support withdrawing troops from Donbas to end the war: 71% of supporters of troop withdrawal also support a referendum, while among opponents of withdrawal only 39% support a referendum.

A majority (61%) of respondents said they support territorial compromises for the sake of ending the war. Respondents are ready to support the following wording in a referendum: “Achieving peace by approving an agreement with the US and Europe that provides for Ukraine’s EU membership in 2027, territorial compromises, reliable security guarantees, and an economic recovery plan.” Only 10% spoke against this.

Moreover, 54% of those who oppose withdrawing troops from Donbas are still ready to support such a vague wording about territorial compromises.

Respondents were also asked whether they themselves would be ready to vote in such a referendum. 31% of respondents said they would definitely take part in the referendum if it were held. Another 33% said they would rather take part. So, a total of 64% express readiness to vote.

A third of respondents (30%) said they would rather not or definitely not take part in the vote.

The poll was conducted on March 1–8 using telephone interviews based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers. 1,003 respondents aged 18 and older took part.