More than 60% of Ukrainians support ceasefire with EU troops on front line, survey finds

According to a survey, 61% of Ukrainians support a ceasefire along the current front line under a scenario in which European troops are deployed in Ukraine near the frontline and would help repel any renewed invasion. A total of 33% categorically oppose this option.

Source: a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between 7 May and 3 June 2026

Quote: "We prepared 4 ceasefire scenarios, and only 1 randomly selected scenario was read to the respondent. Each scenario assumed a ceasefire exactly on the current front line and that Russia actually retains control over the occupied territories, however, without official recognition (since, as we have seen in our surveys, this is a significant "red line"). At the same time, the security component differed."

Details: As noted before, the survey examined four possible scenarios.

• Scenario 1 – "Without security guarantees": Hostilities cease, but Ukraine receives neither security guarantees nor increased financial or military assistance.
• Scenario 2 – "Symbolic presence of European troops": Troops from European countries are stationed in Ukraine but far from the front line and would not take part in combat if Russia launched another invasion.
• Scenario 3 – "Own forces + Allied resources": Allies provide Ukraine with increased financial and military support, including missiles and other weapons.
• Scenario 4 – "European Shield": Troops from European countries are deployed near the frontline and would take part in combat if Russia launched another invasion.

According to the survey, if Ukraine were to receive neither security guarantees nor substantial financial and military assistance, 61% of respondents would categorically reject a ceasefire proposal based on the current line of contact. A total of 32% would approve such an arrangement, although most would do so reluctantly.

If European troops were stationed in Ukraine away from the front line and would not participate in combat in the event of a renewed invasion, 42% of respondents would support a ceasefire along the current front line, while 49% would categorically reject the proposal. The survey suggests that this option is viewed more favourably than a simple ceasefire without guarantees, although opponents still outnumber supporters.

Under a scenario in which security guarantees took the form of large-scale financial and military assistance, 53% of respondents said they would support a ceasefire based on the current front line, while 37% would categorically reject it. In this case, those willing to endorse the proposal significantly outnumber those opposed to it.

The highest level of support was recorded for the option under which troops from European countries would be deployed near the front line in Ukraine and would help repel any renewed Russian invasion. Under this scenario, 61% of respondents said they would support a ceasefire along the current line of contact, while 33% would categorically reject it.

Respondents were asked to imagine that a ceasefire along the current front line was under discussion, with Russia retaining control over all occupied territories but without international recognition. They were then presented with one of several possible security arrangements.

The survey used a split-sample experiment, meaning that each respondent was randomly assigned one of the scenarios and answered only that specific question.

"Our survey once again shows that Ukrainians are open to constructive dialogue to end the war and are even ready to make difficult territorial concessions. The only party that is disrupting the peace process and that bears full responsibility for the continued destruction and death (including on its own territory) is Russia," Anton Hrushetskyi, Executive Director of KIIS, said.

For reference: The KIIS survey was conducted between 7 May and 3 June 2026 using telephone interviews based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers across all government-controlled regions of Ukraine. A total of 2,007 respondents were interviewed.

The survey included adult Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and over who were residing in government-controlled areas of Ukraine at the time of the poll.

Under normal circumstances, the statistical margin of error for a sample of 2,000 respondents (with a 95% confidence level and a design effect of 1.3) does not exceed 2.8%. However, the ceasefire question was conducted as a split-sample experiment, with respondents randomly divided into four subgroups, each presented with a different ceasefire scenario. Around 500 respondents answered each scenario, resulting in a margin of error of 5.8% for each subgroup.

KIIS noted that, in addition to the formal margin of error, wartime conditions may introduce certain systematic biases. The institute has previously outlined the factors that may affect the quality of survey results during wartime.

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