More than half of Germans surveyed believe Ukraine should be prepared to give up territory to Russia if necessary to achieve a peace agreement, ntv reported on 18 March.
The survey, conducted by Forsa for German news channel ntv, found that 54% of respondents think Ukraine should be ready to cede occupied territories to Russia if needed for a peace deal.
In contrast, 36% of respondents—primarily supporters of the Green party—believe Ukraine should not surrender any territory.
The poll comes as high-ranking US officials have made similar suggestions. Michael Waltz, US National Security Advisor, claimed recently that a future agreement to end Russia’s war against Ukraine might involve Ukraine losing territory “in exchange for future security guarantees.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 10 March that “Ukraine will have to make concessions” regarding territories Russia has seized since 2014 as part of any agreement to end the war.
The poll revealed divisions along party lines regarding territorial concessions. Among supporters of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, 52% favor Ukraine ceding territory, while 43% oppose this position. For Social Democratic Party (SPD) supporters, 46% back territorial concessions, with 40% against.
The CDU/CSU and SPD are currently in negotiations to form Germany’s next government.
Support for territorial concessions is strongest among supporters of the pro-Russian Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with 71% saying Ukraine should be prepared to give up territory, compared to only 16% who oppose this view. Among Left party supporters, 50% favor territorial concessions, while 40% are against.
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