Nearly Half of Poles Say Ukraine Should Cede Land for Peace
The findings highlight a change in tone since President Nawrocki took office, as Polish voters weigh war fatigue against long-standing anti-Russia sentiment.
Ukrainian refugee women in Warsaw weave nets for the Ukrainian army
Sergei GAPON / AFP
The findings highlight a change in tone since President Nawrocki took office, as Polish voters weigh war fatigue against long-standing anti-Russia sentiment.
A new United Surveys poll for Wirtualna Polska shows growing support among Poles for Ukraine to give up territory in return for peace and security guarantees. Conducted on August 20–21, the survey found 41.7% of respondents in favour of concessions—17.2% “definitely yes”—while 48.8% opposed them outright and 9.5% were undecided.
While Poland remains staunchly anti-Russia, the poll reflects a gradual shift from unconditional support for Ukraine toward a more divided public opinion, especially since conservative President Karol Nawrocki took office in August.
The poll comes against the backdrop of Russia’s 2022 referendums in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, territories it occupied following its invasion of Ukraine. As a result of the plebiscites, widely considered fraudulent, Russia claims rights to these four Ukrainian oblasts, as well as to the Crimean Peninsula that it annexed more than ten years ago, in 2014. Moscow argues that the war will only end when Kyiv cedes these territories, something Kyiv has no intention of doing (although there were overtures in that regard at the beginning of August).
Those who oppose territorial concession are the dominant among voters of Poland’s ruling liberal coalition, i.e., the Civic Coalition, the Left, Poland 2050, and the Polish People’s Party (PSL). 59% of this group believe Ukraine should not cede any territory, while 36% disagree.
Opposition (PiS and Konfederacja) supporters, by contrast, are evenly divided–48% believe Ukraine should cede territory, while 48% oppose it.
Among undecided voters, slightly more (41%) believe that Ukraine should not concede, while 37% hold the view that relinquishing territories is necessary to protect the country. A large percentage, 22%, of this group did not answer.
While Poland remains a steadfast opponent of Russia, the general sentiment regarding Ukraine appears to be changing from unconditional to less enthusiastic support.
Ildikó Bíró is an editor at europeanconservative.com. She obtained her MAs in Italian and English language and literature and a postgraduate degree in media and journalism from ELTE University in Budapest, and has worked for higher educational institutions, NGOs, government agencies and media outlets as an educator, analyst and copy editor.
