According to the survey, the respondents’ sentiments differ in various regions, although the average figure for Ukraine is 44%. Residents in the country’s south are most in favor of negotiations (60%).

The vast majority of Ukrainians, 84%, are not willing to accept Moscow’s territorial demands. A total of 77% of respondents oppose the lifting of sanctions against Russia, while 58% oppose the introduction of provisions on the nuclear-free and non-aligned status of Ukraine into the constitution.

The poll was conducted on June 20-28. According to the Mirror of the week daily, no military personnel took part in the poll, so it reflects “the opinion of the home front.”

Last week, the Strana weekly reported that bloggers and some opposition politicians in Ukraine had started to speak out in favor of finding ways to resolve the conflict as soon as possible, accusing the authorities of seeking to profit from the fighting. Recently, Ukrainian social networks have been increasingly calling on the authorities to negotiate peace as soon as possible, noting that the goal of “reaching the 1991 borders” declared by the president’s office is unrealistic.

Even influencers with millions of followers, many of whom had previously tried to avoid political topics, began to take this stance. This trend was said to reflect the mood in Ukrainian society. Since last fall, a growing number of people has been calling for an early end to hostilities, even if this would involve the loss of part of the territory. The Ukrainian Security Service has already “held talks” with a number of these influencers.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia remained open for any dialogue on Ukraine, including with the participation of mediators, as long as it achieved its goals.

On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to build a new architecture that would take into account the concerns of all. He also listed conditions for peace talks with Ukraine. Among them are the withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass and Novorossiya and Kiev’s pledge not to join NATO. Ukraine should also remain neutral and commit to having no nuclear weapons, while all Western sanctions against Russia should be removed. Putin pointed out that if Ukraine and the West rejected these conditions, they could change in the future. Kiev rejected the Russian peace plan.

Three preliminary meetings will be held ahead of the conference, Zelensky told reporters in Kiev. According to him, the first meeting, to be convened sometime in late summer in Qatar, will be focused on energy security, while the second one, to be held in August in Turkiye, will be dedicated to the free navigation in the Black Sea. The third one, to be held in September in Canada, will be a platform to discuss prisoner exchange with Russia, the Ukrainian president said.

“After these three points, if they work out, a plan for the implementation of all points will be completed. I set the task so that in November, we will have a drawn-up plan … Everything will be ready for the second summit … We will be ready to hold the second summit as soon as possible, and I believe that Russian representatives should be present at the second summit,” Zelensky added.

The US has consulted with Ukraine on inviting Russia to the second Ukraine summit and will back Kiev’s decision on the matter, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

“That’s something that we discussed with them but as we said before any decisions around diplomatic negotiations are decisions that Ukraine has to make,” Miller continued, adding, “It’s for Ukraine to decide when and how and in what shape to undertake diplomatic negotiations. As their partner, as their backer, we will support them if that’s the path that they choose to take.”

Switzerland hosted a high-level conference on Ukraine at the Burgenstock resort outside of Lucerne from June 15-16. Russia did not receive an invitation. The Russian officials have noted that they would skip the event in any case.

The Kremlin announced Tuesday Russia first needs to understand what Zelensky means when he says “peace summit” before accepting any invitation to talks.