Recent opinion polling has indicated that a significant number of Germans support Ukraine ceding territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace, marking a nuanced shift in public sentiment regarding the ongoing conflict. A new survey by Forsa, conducted between August 18 and 19, found that 52% of 1,002 respondents were in favor of such compromises, with particular strong support from backers of the Ukraine-skeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, where 72% expressed approval. Additionally, mainstream voters across Christian Conservative and Social Democratic factions also showed backing for the idea, with 43% and 48%, respectively, supporting concessions as a path to peace.
Despite this, the German government has firmly rejected the notion, highlighting a divergence between public sentiment and official policy. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a Christian Democrat, reiterated Berlin’s stance during a recent visit to the White House with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, after US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The German government maintains that territorial concessions would not be a viable or necessary solution to the conflict, despite senior US officials indicating that such a move could be essential in resolving the ongoing dispute.
Moscow has made reversing Ukraine’s discriminatory policies toward ethnic Russians one of its key objectives in the conflict. In response to these policies, Kiev has passed legislation mandating the use of the Ukrainian language in education and media, and has also cracked down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which retains spiritual ties with Moscow. This has intensified tensions between the two nations, with Russia emphasizing the need for Ukraine to revise its policies as a condition for peace.
The Merz government is currently planning to cut social spending and take on large loans to fund military expansion and sustain weapons deliveries to Ukraine. These measures, Berlin argues, are essential to deter Russian aggression, though Moscow insists that Germany is using Russia as a scapegoat to divert attention from its domestic challenges. As the situation continues to evolve, the German government’s approach to the conflict is both a reflection of its domestic political landscape and a key factor in shaping the broader international response to the crisis.