By the end of the fourth year of full-scale war, more and more Ukrainians are willing to give Donbas to Russia. This concession was unthinkable in the spring of 2022, writes The New York Times.
The Significance of Donbas
As noted by the authors of the publication, Ukraine has been strengthening its defense in Donbas for years, and in the battles for this region, it "has lost a tremendous number of soldiers." After four years of full-scale war, Ukraine still controls 20% of Donetsk region and several patches of land that administratively belong to Luhansk region.
The NYT notes that for the Kremlin, capturing Donbas, where Russia has suffered significantly greater losses than Ukraine, would provide an opportunity to declare victory. Even though the main goal – the conquest of all of Ukraine – remains unattainable.
At the same time, surrendering Donbas could tarnish the political reputation and historical legacy of President Zelensky. As the NYT writes, he risks losing the image of a heroic leader defending the state and instead gaining the notoriety of someone who handed over territory to Russia where about 190,000 people still reside.
Ukrainians Lean Toward Concessions
Sociological surveys reflect the growing willingness of Ukrainians to make territorial concessions for the sake of ending the war, the NYT reports.
For instance, in May 2022, when the Defense Forces had just defeated and pushed back Russian troops in the battle for Kyiv, a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 82% of Ukrainians were against ceding territories under any circumstances.
In a new survey published by KIIS on Monday, 40% of respondents expressed willingness to give up Donbas in exchange for security guarantees.
However, the NYT notes that for those Ukrainians who are open to territorial concessions, providing reliable security guarantees is an extremely important condition for this. People fear that without such guarantees, Russia will simply regroup and continue its offensive from new positions.
Concessions Through the Eyes of Ordinary Ukrainians
To illustrate these views, the authors of the publication cite the opinion of a woman named Kristina Yurchenko, who has invested a lot of effort into creating her own dance studio in Donbas but is willing to make concessions regarding the region if it brings an end to the war.
"For me, peace is a priority, and if after we give up Donbas there will definitely be no war, I would be ready to leave," she said, but emphasized that she would only support the ceding of territory on the condition that allies provide Ukraine with substantial guarantees of post-war security.
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