From Kyiv, the debate is no longer simply about whether the war should end. It is about what kind of peace can keep Ukraine safe — and whether Ukrainians will still be here to build the country after the fighting stops.
By Timur Maslov | Kyiv, Ukraine
I have been living in Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Four and a half years into the war, something that once seemed unimaginable has become part of everyday life.
Ukrainians have learned how to live with air-raid sirens, missile attacks and drones overhead. Some people still go down to shelters when the alarms sound. Others continue walking through the city, sitting in restaurants or meeting friends, trying to preserve some version of a normal life.
This is not because people have stopped being afraid. It is because war has become part of daily life. And now another question is beginning to dominate conversations in Kyiv:
What will happen this winter?
People are asking whether there will be electricity, heating, gas and enough food.
Ukraine’s authorities are already preparing for another difficult winter while warning that Russia may continue targeting energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described preparation for the winter and strengthening air defense as an absolute priority. (Офіційний сайт Президента України)
For many Ukrainians, this uncertainty is no longer abstract.
It is about whether their homes will be warm, whether businesses will be able to operate and whether families will be able to get through another winter without basic services being repeatedly disrupted.
Ukrainians are tired — but they still want a lasting peace
There is little doubt that war fatigue is growing.
Gradus Research found that fatigue remains the leading emotion among Ukrainians, reported by 54% of respondents, while subjective stress remains extremely high. (gradus.app)
And public opinion has shifted significantly toward negotiations.
According to Gallup’s 2025 survey, 69% of Ukrainians said they wanted their country to seek a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible, while 24% preferred continuing to fight until victory. (Gallup.com). But wanting negotiations does not mean Ukrainians are prepared to accept any agreement.
That distinction is crucial. For many people here, the desired outcome is not a temporary ceasefire followed by another Russian invasion. It is a peace that lasts. And that is where the debate over President Donald Trump’s approach becomes complicated.
“Nowhere will be as good as home”
Andriy, a 35-year-old entrepreneur who runs a business in Kyiv, told me that the word “compromise” has become extremely difficult to define.
“Compromise is a very complicated word today,” he said. “Neither side appears ready to make concessions, so I don’t think the word really applies right now.”
Yet he believes Ukraine and Russia have to keep talking.
“Despite all the hatred and the broken relationships, we have to maintain a dialogue,” he said. “We have to do it for the people and to save millions of lives.”
Andriy is also preparing for another difficult winter.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned about the risks facing the energy system, while the government works to restore damaged generation capacity and increase the resilience of critical infrastructure. (Офіційний сайт Президента України)
“The only thing we can hope for is that we get lucky and the winter is warm,” Andriy said. “Otherwise, it will be terrible.”
He has thought about leaving Ukraine himself.
But after spending years living through the war, he says the idea of starting again somewhere else is not simple.
“Of course, there have been moments when I thought about leaving everything behind and going somewhere far away,” he said. “But nowhere will be as good as home, even though our home is burning today.”
That sentence captures something I hear repeatedly in Ukraine. People want peace. But many do not want to abandon their country in order to find it.
A soldier’s definition of peace
The view from the Ukrainian military is similar in one important respect.
The goal is not simply to stop shooting.
A Ukrainian serviceman currently serving in the armed forces, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, told me that what he wants most is remarkably simple.
“To see my family and loved ones and start living a normal life,” he said. “Everyone dreams about that, especially those who haven’t been home for a long time.”
But when asked about possible territorial concessions, he refused to speculate on behalf of the military.
“That question should be asked to the country’s leadership,” he said. “If they decide that they need to hear the opinion of the military, we will give it. That is their job and their responsibility for the decisions they make.”
His position on a ceasefire is much clearer.
“We don’t want a ceasefire. We want peace that will last for decades, so that future generations don’t know what war is and can live in peace.”
That distinction — between a ceasefire and lasting peace — is at the heart of Ukraine’s current debate.
Recent KIIS polling illustrates why the issue is so difficult. In April 2026, 57% of Ukrainians said it would be categorically unacceptable for Ukraine to withdraw from the parts of Donetsk region it still controls and allow them to come under Russian control in exchange for security guarantees from the United States and Europe. Thirty-six percent were generally prepared to accept such a condition. (КМІС)
The numbers show a country that wants negotiations but remains deeply cautious about the price of peace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAhqJBnB5yY
The Trump problem
This is where Ukrainian attitudes toward Trump become particularly complicated.
Many Ukrainians recognize that the United States has enormous influence over the possibility of ending the war.
Gallup found that despite declining approval of U.S. leadership, 70% of Ukrainians still believed Washington should play a significant role in peace negotiations. (Gallup.com). But there is also growing skepticism about Washington’s ability — or willingness — to deliver a lasting settlement.
Andriy is among those who have become frustrated.
“Trump promised during his first year as president to end the war between Ukraine and Russia,” he said. “But what do we see today? First the deadlines kept moving, and now it feels like he has stepped back from the issue and speaks mostly in general terms.”
That is Andriy’s assessment, not a statement of fact.
But the sentiment is significant.
For Ukrainians, the question is no longer simply whether Trump can help stop the war.
It is whether the United States can help create a settlement that prevents Russia from simply using a ceasefire to prepare for another war.
The generation deciding whether to stay
Perhaps the most difficult question is not what happens to Ukraine’s borders. It is what happens to Ukraine’s people.
A young Ukrainian woman I spoke with is preparing to leave the country for Germany, where she plans to study and work. She does not know whether she is leaving permanently.
“No one knows what will happen in five or ten years,” she told me. “Maybe I will come back.”
But she also made something else clear:
“If there were no war, I would plan my future here.”
For her, the decision is practical. Work and security come first. She is not simply asking whether Ukraine will survive. She is asking whether Ukraine will offer her generation a future. That is a question shared by many young Ukrainians who have spent their formative years living through war. And it creates a difficult paradox. The longer the war continues, the more people may decide to build their lives elsewhere.
But the more people who leave, the harder it becomes for Ukraine to rebuild after the war.
The winter question
The coming winter adds another layer of uncertainty.
Ukraine has survived previous winters despite repeated Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. But the country is again preparing for the possibility of major strikes.
The Ukrainian government is working on energy resilience, backup power and restoration of damaged infrastructure. The president has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine must be prepared because Russia has not abandoned its war aims. (Офіційний сайт Президента України)
For people in Kyiv, however, government plans eventually become much simpler questions.
Will the lights stay on?
Will there be heat?
Will there be gas?
Will supermarkets have enough food?
And perhaps the most important question:
Will my family still want to be here next year?
Ukraine wants peace. But it wants a future, too.
After years of war, the Ukrainian public appears increasingly ready for diplomacy.
Gallup’s data show that a clear majority now favors a negotiated end to the conflict. (Gallup.com)
But the people I spoke with do not describe their desire for peace as surrender.
The entrepreneur wants to remain at home. The soldier wants to return to his family. The young woman is preparing to leave — but still hopes she might return. Their positions are different, but they share one underlying idea. They want the war to end without making the next war inevitable.
For the United States, that distinction matters. For President Trump, ending the fighting may be the immediate objective. For Ukrainians, the question is what comes after. A ceasefire can stop the guns.
A peace agreement can change a map.
But neither automatically guarantees that a Ukrainian family will feel safe enough to stay, that a young person will see a future at home, or that a soldier returning from the front will believe his country is secure.
From Kyiv, the demand sounds surprisingly simple:
Ukrainians do not just want the war to stop. They want to be able to stay home when it does.
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