Ukrainian Support for War Effort Collapses, as EU Prepares to Fight "Till The Last Ukrainian"

The most recent Gallup poll revealed that, contrary to Volodymyr Zelensky’s daily assurances and prevailing Western narratives, the Ukrainian population supports a diplomatic settlement with Russia: 69 percent favor a negotiated end to the conflict as soon as possible, compared with 24 percent who support continuing to fight. For comparison, in 2022, nearly 73 percent favored continued fighting, while just 21 percent supported a negotiated end to the conflict.

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One has to wonder why only 69 percent favor a negotiated settlement. In a country where views that differ from the “officially approved” narratives are prosecuted, it’s fair to be surprised that more than two-thirds of the surveyed individuals felt comfortable expressing anti-war perspectives.

It is possible, however, that after Zelensky lifted the self-imposed ban on negotiating with Russia, the idea of peace negotiations became less of a taboo.

Support for the continued war effort has declined across all regions and demographic groups. Despite supporting peace initiatives, 68 percent of the surveyed indicated that it is “somewhat unlikely” or “very unlikely” that active fighting will end within the next 12 months.

As Ukraine is running out of manpower and Ukrainians are increasingly desperate for peace with Russia, European leaders are doubling down on their support for Zelensky’s regime. Members of the European Union are preparing to provide Kiev with funds to “fight for another two to three years.” In a recent interview, Polish PM Donald Tusk said:

“I have no doubts Ukraine will survive as an independent state. Now the main question is how many victims we will see. President Zelensky told me [on Thursday] that he hopes that the war will not last ten years, but that Ukraine is ready to fight for another two, three years.”

Moreover, Tusk effectively endorsed terror attacks on European infrastructure by stating that Ukraine had a right to attack Russia-linked targets anywhere in Europe after a court in Warsaw blocked a German extradition request earlier this month for a Ukrainian diver accused of involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia in 2022.

After Belgium refused to assume responsibility for the illegal seizure of $300 billion in Russian frozen sovereign assets last week, the European political elites have started to develop a “Plan B” to fund Ukraine. According to Politico, EU countries may be called upon to raise tens of billions of euros in joint debt. The joint debt option is expected to be included in a paper to be presented by the European Commission to EU capitals in the coming weeks, alongside the reparations loan scheme, originally proposed by Ursula von der Leyen.

As indicated by the recent Gallup poll, most Ukrainians want peace, not endless conflict with the country they share deep historical, cultural, and social connections. Yet across Europe’s political capitals, too many leaders seem more comfortable discussing weapons shipments than diplomatic solutions. Each summit ends with new pledges of military aid, but few (or none) serious efforts to chart a path toward negotiations.

Europe’s rhetoric of “defending democracy” often masks a deeper reluctance to face the political costs of peace. Supporting Ukraine has become a litmus test of loyalty within the European Union, leaving little room for voices advocating diplomacy over escalation. The result is a policy that sustains the war’s machinery but stalls genuine progress toward its end.

Ordinary Ukrainians and Russians are left to pay the highest price for Europe’s strategic posturing. The tragedy is that many EU governments seem to measure resolve by how long they can sustain a war rather than by how quickly they can end it. In Brussels, Berlin, and London, the debate revolves around strategy, deterrence, and “European unity,” but rarely around the human cost borne by Ukrainians and Russians. In fact, it is the very topic they systematically ignore. As military and civilian casualties increase on both sides, European politicians debate how to “weaken Russia” or “reshape Europe’s security order.” Such goals deliberately lead to escalation.

As the elites in Brussels and the neocons in Washington are attempting to turn the proxy conflict on Russia via Ukraine into a permanent geopolitical project, the real challenge is for the EU political elites to understand that the remnants of Europe’s credibility lie not in perpetuating war, but in helping to stop it.

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