Every month we ask whether Ukraine should continue fighting or agree to the terms proposed by Russia. Between February and September, support for continuing to fight rose from 61% to 68%, while willingness to accept Russia's terms ranged between 10% and 14%. In September, the share “definitely” in favour of continuing to fight reached 37%, the highest since measurement began (28% in February, 35% in August; the latter difference is within the margin of error).
Should Ukraine continue fighting or accept Russia's terms?
February–September 2026, % of all respondents
- Continue fighting
- Accept Russia's terms
Show data as a table
| Month | Continue fighting | Accept Russia's terms | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | 61% | 14% | 25% |
| Mar | 58% | 13% | 30% |
| Apr | 61% | 13% | 26% |
| May | 64% | 14% | 22% |
| Jun | 68% | 10% | 22% |
| Jul | 66% | 10% | 24% |
| Aug | 67% | 12% | 21% |
| Sep | 68% | 13% | 20% |
At the same time, when asked which scenario for the war they support, 56% choose to stop hostilities and seek a compromise through negotiations. Another 37% believe Ukraine should fight at least until the borders of 23 February 2022 are restored, including 19% who say until Donbas and Crimea are returned.
How Ukrainians see Russia's aims
In September we asked for the first time what respondents believe Putin's main goal in the war is. 44% think he seeks to destroy Ukrainians as a nation, and another 24% to destroy Ukrainian statehood — 68% in total. Far fewer see the goal as installing a pro-Russian government (10%) or securing the occupied territories for Russia (7%).
What is Putin's main goal in the war against Ukraine?
September 2026, % of all respondents, single choice
Show data as a table
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| Destroy Ukrainians as a nation | 44.0% |
| Destroy Ukrainian statehood | 23.8% |
| Install a pro-Russian government in Ukraine | 9.8% |
| Secure the occupied territories for Russia | 6.7% |
| Weaken NATO and the EU | 5.1% |
| Protect Russian speakers | 0.5% |
| Other | 3.5% |
| Don't know | 6.6% |
Among those who see the war as a threat to the existence of the nation or the state, 78% support continuing to fight and only 6% accepting Russia's terms. Yet nearly half of this group (49%) also supports seeking a compromise through negotiations. What they reject is Russia's terms, not negotiation as such.
The link between perceptions of Russia's aims and attitudes to the war is correlational: the survey cannot establish which is cause and which is effect.