In Ukraine, the population is tired after two years of war against Russia

After two years of war of attrition, Ukrainians are tired of the conflict. But the majority of them refuse to negotiate with Moscow, as long as part of their territory is occupied.

In Ukraine, the war has dragged on and the fronts have been frozen for several months. To break the impasse, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky created a surprise by proposing, on Thursday, July 18, to invite Russia to the next peace summit. But while Ukrainians are in favor of talks with Moscow, they believe that they can only take place once the territorial integrity of their country has been restored. France Info went to kyiv to meet these Ukrainians, who are tired after more than two years of war.

Like many Ukrainians, Valentina is exhausted by this war of attrition. “There are power cuts, bombings, attacks on dronesshe lists. We have had enough. But freedom flows through our veins and evil must be eradicated.” And she specifies: ““The evil is Russia.”

For many Ukrainians, there is no question of making concessions to Moscow and giving up the territories it occupies. This is the position of Roman, 27, who has just returned from the Eastern Front, where he lost both his arms.Negotiating with Russia would be a real betrayal because we have paid a very heavy price.insists the young man. Putin’s place is at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”

Conversely, other Ukrainians believe that Volodymyr Zelensky’s new position is a strategy to force Russia to give up its territorial claims. This is the opinion of Sviatoslav Juraj, a member of parliament from the same party as the Ukrainian president. “Inviting Russia to the negotiating table is to clearly show them that the majority of the world is with us, that more than 100 countries support us against their imperialist delusions.he analyzes. That’s why she refuses to come.”

But these same Ukrainians also know that a victory by Donald Trump in the next presidential election in the United States, in November 2024, could change the situation. They fear losing their main military support, before being pushed to give up part of their territory to Russia.