Washington, Aug 7 (AP) The Kremlin has announced that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is in the works and is set to take place soon. This development follows a new Gallup poll indicating that Ukrainians are increasingly in favor of reaching a settlement to cease the conflict initiated by Russia's invasion.
Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, confirmed that both sides are actively working on finalizing the details of the meeting, with a venue already agreed upon and to be disclosed at a later date.
This would be the first meeting between Putin and Trump since Trump assumed office again this year. While this marks a significant moment in the ongoing war now exceeding three years, there is no guarantee that this meeting alone will resolve the conflict, given the wide gap between Russia and Ukraine’s demands.
There is a notable shift in sentiment within Ukraine regarding the continuation of the war. The enthusiasm for a negotiated deal starkly contrasts with the sentiment in 2022, the war’s first year, when around 75% of Ukrainians supported fighting until achieving victory. Now, just about a quarter hold that view, with support for continued warfare declining across various regions and demographics.
The Gallup findings are based on samples from over 1,000 respondents aged 15 and older living in Ukraine. Areas under Russian control representing around 10% of the population were excluded from the surveys after 2022 due to access challenges.
Since the full-scale war's onset, Russia's intense shelling of urban areas behind the front line has resulted in more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilian casualties, according to UN reports.
Along the extensive 1,000-kilometer front line stretching from northeast to southeast Ukraine, Russia's larger military force continues to capture territory incrementally.
The polling results precede US President Trump's impending Friday deadline, by which Russia must halt its aggressive actions or face stringent economic sanctions.
The recent Gallup survey, conducted in early July, reveals that about 70% of Ukrainians advocate for initiating negotiations to achieve a settlement promptly. Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated his willingness to engage in talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, these overtures have been dismissed as Russia maintains its demands, leaving both sides at odds.
Despite this, most Ukrainians hold little hope for a durable peace soon, with only about 25% seeing it as “very” or “somewhat” likely that active hostilities will cease within a year, while roughly 70% view this as “somewhat” or “very” unlikely within the same timeframe.
Ukrainian opinions on US leadership have significantly declined in recent years, while approval of Germany's leadership has risen, as reported by Gallup.
Three years back, approximately two-thirds of Ukrainians approved of US leadership. However, this approval has plummeted to 16% in the latest poll, reflecting rising tensions between the US and Ukraine since Trump’s administration began in January.
Though the drop from last year was considerable—US leadership approval was 40% in 2024—positive views had been waning even before Trump took office, possibly owing to some Republican politicians' criticisms of substantial US aid to Ukraine.
Conversely, Germany’s leadership has seen growing favor among Ukrainians, with approval ratings climbing to 63% in the recent poll.
Prospects for NATO and EU membership acceptance have visibly diminished among Ukrainians compared to previous years.
In the latest survey, about one-third of Ukrainians believe their country will gain NATO membership within the next decade, approximately one-quarter think it may take at least 10 years, and one-third fear it will never occur.
This contrasts with 2022, when about two-thirds anticipated NATO acceptance within 10 years, and only 10% doubted it would ever happen.
Optimism about joining the EU remains higher yet has also declined, with 52% of Ukrainians now expecting EU membership within the next decade, down from 73% in 2022. (AP) GSP
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
