As the Iran war delays peace talks for Ukraine — and global supplies of air defense missiles — there are signs that fewer Ukrainians are willing to endure Russia’s war for as long as necessary.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Ukrainians are increasingly weary of war. A survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicates that Ukraine’s citizens are pessimistic about the prospects for peace. NPR’s Hanna Palamarenko in Kyiv has more.
HANNA PALAMARENKO, BYLINE: According to the survey, only 54% of Ukrainians remain committed to enduring the ongoing war. Svitlana Hetmanchuk (ph), a retiree, is on a walk through Kyiv central park with her husband.
SVITLANA HETMANCHUK: Yeah. (Speaking Ukrainian).
PALAMARENKO: “I am ready to endure the war for as long as it takes,” she says. However, Hetmanchuk is driven not by hope and optimism, but by the lack of any other choice.
HETMANCHUK: (Speaking Ukrainian).
PALAMARENKO: “We must either endure or be slaves,” she adds.
Anton Grushetskyi, the executive director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, explains that such resilience is rooted in the existential nature of the war. The declining figures in the survey indicate fatigue and growing concerns.
ANTON GRUSHETSKYI: People see, like, much more complex geopolitical situation and how it affects Ukraine.
PALAMARENKO: As a result, Ukrainians became more skeptical about security guarantees from the partners.
OLEKSANDR: (Speaking Ukrainian).
PALAMARENKO: “Right now, the only security guarantee for Ukrainians is the Ukrainians themselves,” says Oleksandr. He is an active-duty soldier. He asked to withhold his last name for security reasons.
OLEKSANDR: (Speaking Ukrainian).
PALAMARENKO: In his view, any concessions come at the cost of civilian and military lives. So there is no single right solution. Even despite the recent resumption of negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations, Ukrainians, including Grushetskyi, do not expect any progress.
GRUSHETSKYI: I’m a sociologist and a citizen, not expecting some breakthroughs from the negotiations, especially with Iran war, because if now sanctions against Russia is lifting, Russia has even less reasons to stop the war.
PALAMARENKO: The research from previous years, however, show that such increase of pessimism may be temporary and can indicate a period of adjustment for society to the new realities.
Hanna Palamarenko, NPR News, Kyiv.
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