A majority of Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, state pollster VTsIOM said on Wednesday, in a sign that the Kremlin could be testing public reaction to a possible peace settlement as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify.
A majority of Russians anticipate that the war in Ukraine could conclude in 2026, according to state pollster VTsIOM, which reported the finding on Wednesday. The results may reflect the Kremlin gauging public reaction ahead of potential peace efforts as diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict gain momentum.
At VTsIOM’s year-end briefing, Deputy Head Mikhail Mamonov said that 70% of the 1,600 respondents expected 2026 to be a “more successful” year for Russia compared with 2025. For 55% of those surveyed, this optimism was linked to a possible end to what Russia refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
“The main source of optimism is the potential completion of the special military operation and the achievement of its stated objectives, in line with the national interests outlined by the president,” Mamonov said during the presentation.
Unlike previous year-end polls, which highlighted the consolidation of Russian society around President Vladimir Putin and his military ambitions in Ukraine, VTsIOM’s latest survey provided specific figures on public expectations for the conflict’s resolution.
The Ukraine war, which started in February 2022, is nearing its fifth year, but the real level of Russian public fatigue with the conflict is difficult to measure due to strict state controls on dissent.
Mamonov cited the Russian army’s ongoing offensive in Ukraine, U.S. reluctance to finance Ukraine and the European Union’s inability to fully replace the United States financially and militarily as the main factors behind the prospects for an eventual peace agreement.
After the end of military hostilities, he added, the reintegration of veterans of the ”special military operation” into society and the reconstruction of Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, as well as Russian border regions, are seen as the main priorities.
Some two thirds of Russians support peace talks, the highest share since the start of the war, according to independent pollster Levada, which has been branded a ”foreign agent” under Russian law during the conflict.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Putin has been briefed about his officials’ contacts with President Donald Trump’s envoys on U.S. proposals for a possible Ukrainian peace deal and that Moscow would now formulate its position.
Putin has said in recent weeks that his conditions for peace are that Ukraine should cede the roughly 5,000 square km of Donbas that it still controls and that Kyiv should officially renounce its intention to join the NATO military alliance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on December 22 that negotiations conducted with the United States and European nations aimed at ending the war with Russia were ”very close to a real result”.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy called for a meeting with Trump to hammer out the most sensitive issues in a future peace deal, including control of territory.
With inputs from agencies
End of Article
