Over 80% of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine should continue fighting even if the United States ends all support for the country, according to a KIIS survey (International Institute of Sociology in Kiev) conducted between March 12-25, reported by Ukrainskaia Pravda.
There is a clear consensus among Ukrainians that the country should continue to fight regardless of the situation – 82%. Only 8% of respondents stated that they would be more inclined to accept surrender in such circumstances, according to the survey.
In all regions, there is an overwhelming majority – from 78% in the east to 83% in the west – who believe that despite everything, Ukraine should continue to resist and not surrender.
At the beginning of March 2025, the United States suspended military support. Although this has been resumed, sociologists wondered what Ukraine should do if the US eventually stops supporting it.
“We wanted to find out if Ukrainians in general are prepared to continue to fight with limited support (only from Europe) or if they would rather give in to all of Russia’s demands (i.e. surrender in fact),” sociologists said.
What Ukrainians think about a temporary ceasefire
The study also includes a question about Ukrainians’ perception of a proposal for a temporary cessation of hostilities with Russia. 77% of Ukrainians have a positive opinion about the proposal for a 30-day temporary ceasefire, while 79% of respondents consider the conditions set by Russia for the ceasefire to be completely unacceptable. Sociologists note that the respondents were given six interpretations of the idea of a 30-day ceasefire, three of which were conditionally positive for Ukraine and three conditionally negative, and the respondent had to choose only one answer.
“The vast majority of Ukrainians – 77% – have a positive interpretation of this proposal. Most often, these respondents (47% out of 77%) said it is a way to show that Russia does not want peace or that Russia is violating agreements. In addition, 12% say it is a way to unlock military aid. The remaining 18% say it is primarily a step towards ending the war on acceptable terms for Ukraine,” sociologists state.
Only 17% chose one of the three negative options: 8% see it as a mistake that will weaken Ukraine and 7% see it as a desperate move by Ukrainian authorities due to the difficult situation on the front line. 2% of respondents perceive the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire as a step towards Ukraine’s surrender.