Seventy-five percent of Ukrainians believe their president should begin direct talks with Russia in order to restore peace in Donbas, while 55.4 percent stand for direct talks with the administrations of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people’s republics, the Social Monitoring Center, the Yaremenko Institute for Social Research, and the sociological group Rating said in a joint statement released at the Interfax-Ukraine press center in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to the statement, 24.2 percent are inclined to think that the Ukrainian president should begin direct talks with Moscow; 50.8 percent say this is a must, 7.7 percent not so much favor direct talks, 8.4 percent are strongly against it, and 9 percent are hesitant.
In the opinion of 36.2 percent of respondents, the president must have direct talks with the administrations of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people’s republics, 19.2 percent are inclined to think so, 12.4 percent not so much support such talks, 20.3 percent are strongly opposed, and 11.9 percent are undecided.
Some 65.3 percent of respondents said that Ukraine should make compromises for the sake of peace and return of its territories; 21.3 percent said that it should not, and 13.5 percent were hesitant.
Additionally, 49.2 percent of respondents believe that the status of the uncontrolled Donbas territories should be determined at a nationwide referendum, 29.8 percent claim the opposite, and 21.1 percent are undecided.
Some 39.9 percent of respondents supported a special status of the uncontrolled Donbas territories as the way to solve the problem; 18.5 percent argue that such a status would prevent the territories from reuniting with Ukraine in the coming years and cause their full isolation; 17.3 percent want the hostilities to continue until Ukraine fully regains control of those territories, and 24.3 percent are hesitant.
Some 48.9 percent of respondents said they would support the autonomy of the uncontrolled Donbas territories within Ukraine for the sake of a peaceful settlement of the conflict; 33.5 percent would oppose such a solution, and 17.6 percent are hesitant.
A total of 3,000 respondents were interviewed in 24 Ukrainian regions and Kyiv between April 30 and May 10.
