Over half of Ukrainians oppose pulling back in return for security, poll shows
By Yuliia Dysa
KYIV, Jan 16 (Reuters) – A majority of Ukrainians would strongly oppose withdrawing troops from the part of the eastern Donetsk region still controlled by Kiev in exchange for security guarantees from Europe and the United States, according to a poll published on Friday.
Ukraine, wary of past unfulfilled commitments, is pushing for legally binding security guarantees to prevent any future Russian aggression.
Ukraine is under US pressure to quickly reach a peace deal, but has refused to accept Russian demands that it cede territory it still controls in eastern Donbas, a major mineral-rich industrial region covering the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russia controls almost all of Luhansk, but Kiev retains around 20% of Donetsk, including a number of strategically vital garrison towns and defensive lines.
According to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 54 percent of Ukrainians categorically reject the idea of withdrawing from parts of Donbas in exchange for security guarantees from allies.
Some 39% said they would reluctantly agree.
“In addition, those who are ready to agree are expecting quite significant security guarantees. Therefore, if the level of security guarantees is lower than expected, the approval of such a proposal will be even lower,” said Anton Hrushetskyi, director general of KIIS.
The survey was conducted among 601 respondents living in Ukrainian-controlled territory in early January.
Almost 70% did not believe that current negotiations would lead to a lasting peace.
57 percent of the participants believe that Russia will attack again if a ceasefire is achieved on the current front lines and security guarantees are received from the allies.
However, even if security guarantees were given, 40 percent believed that the USA would not support it if Russia invaded again, while 39 percent thought it would.
Russia has publicly shown little interest in reducing its demands and has made little comment on the 20-point peace framework that Ukraine and the United States are trying to finalize.
Instead, Russia stepped up air strikes, causing significant damage to an already fragmented energy infrastructure and leaving millions without electricity and heat in freezing temperatures.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
