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.
During the pollster's year-end presentation, VTsIOM Deputy Head Mikhail Mamonov said 70% of the 1,600 respondents saw 2026 as a more "successful" year for Russia than this year, while for 55% that hope was linked to a possible end to what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
"The main reason for optimism is the possible completion of the special military operation and the achievement of the stated objectives, in line with the national interests outlined by the president," Mamonov said at the presentation.
In its previous year-end polls, VTsIOM emphasised the consolidation of Russian society around President Vladimir Putin and his military goals in Ukraine but gave no figures for the share of the population expecting the war to end. Hard to assess real degree of public fatigue with conflict
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.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile ...
China is emerging as one of the more stable economies amid the latest global oil shock, thanks to years of planning, diversified energy sources and...
Afghanistan remains the third most affected country globally for unexploded ordnance casualties, with more than 50 people killed or injured each mo...
Bahrain’s bid to secure a UN resolution to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has stalled, highlighting deep divisions among global pow...
Leading Turkish official Fuat Oktay this week called for the dismantling of Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons st...
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
Afghanistan remains the third most affected country globally for unexploded ordnance casualties, with more than 50 people killed or injured each month, a United Nations official has said.
Bahrain’s bid to secure a UN resolution to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has stalled, highlighting deep divisions among global powers over how to respond to Iran’s effective closure of the key waterway.
Leading Turkish official Fuat Oktay this week called for the dismantling of Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons stockpile. The head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said Israel’s nuclear capability should be “eliminated as soon as possible”.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
Russian-flagged tanker carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil docked at Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, shipping data confirmed, marking a vital and controversial delivery to an island paralysed by severe energy shortages and a suffocating U.S. blockade.
A Russian military An-26 aircraft has crashed in Crimea, killing all 30 people on board, Russia’s Defence Ministry has confirmed.
China is emerging as one of the more stable economies amid the latest global oil shock, thanks to years of planning, diversified energy sources and a steady shift towards renewable power.
In a major policy reversal, the U.S. Treasury has removed Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, from its sanctions list, signalling a sharp shift in Washington’s approach to Caracas.
A technical team from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has touched down in Cuba this week to launch an "independent investigation" into a deadly maritime shootout that happened on 25 February.
“He is not… the owner!” U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon wrote, temporarily halting construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, underscoring a cascade of legal, regulatory and public opposition that has engulfed the controversial expansion.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 2 April, covering the latest developments you need to know
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment