“According to Zelenskyi, these data show that everyone wants peace, but a just peace”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
In the fragment of the conversation made public, Zelenskyi commented on the numbers that US President Donald Trump announced during the meeting in Florida.
He noted that all parties to the negotiations should understand that leaving Donbas is the “worst case scenario.”
“This is a big risk for Ukraine. Unacceptable for Ukrainians. The referendum will not be positive,” the president added.
Zelensky did not specify which sociological studies he was referring to.
According to the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from November 26 to December 13, 2025, the majority of Ukrainians – 63% – are ready to endure the war as long as necessary, while only a quarter of Ukrainians expect it to end in the relatively near future.
Russia’s conditional plan stipulates that, among other things, Ukraine withdraws troops from the part of Donetsk region that it currently controls, and officially recognizes Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of Russia and renounces them forever, Russia retains control over the occupied parts of Kherson region and Zaporizhzhia.
Part of Donbas is under the control of the Ukrainian military. Fierce battles continue at the front.
Earlier in December, Zelenskyi said that the issue of possible territorial solutions should be decided by the people of Ukraine “in the format of elections or in the format of a referendum.”
Instead, the aide of the Russian president Yuriy Ushakov, commenting on this statement, said that “all of Donbas is Russian.”