KYIV. May 16 (Interfax) - Seventy-five percent of Ukrainians believe their president should begin direct talks with Russia in order to restore peace in Donbas, while 55.4% stand for direct talks with the administrations of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics, the Social Monitoring Center, the Yaremenko Institute for Social Research, and the sociological group Rating said in a joint statement released at the Interfax press center in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to the statement, 24.2% are inclined to think that the Ukrainian president should begin direct talks with Moscow; 50.8% say this is a must, 7.7% not so much favor direct talks, 8.4% are strongly against it, and 9% are hesitant.
In the opinion of 36.2% of respondents, the president must have direct talks with the administrations of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics, 19.2% are inclined to think so, 12.4% not so much support such talks, 20.3% are strongly opposed, and 11.9% are undecided.
Some 65.3% of respondents said that Ukraine should make compromises for the sake of peace and return of its territories; 21.3% said that it should not, and 13.5% were hesitant.
Additionally, 49.2% of respondents believe that the status of the uncontrolled Donbas territories should be determined at a nationwide referendum, 29.8% claim the opposite, and 21.1% are undecided.
Some 39.9% of respondents supported a special status of the uncontrolled Donbas territories as the way to solve the problem; 18.5% argue that such a status would prevent the territories from reuniting with Ukraine in the coming years and cause their full isolation; 17.3% want the hostilities to continue until Ukraine fully regains control of those territories, and 24.3% are hesitant.
Some 48.9% of respondents said they would support autonomy of the uncontrolled Donbas territories within Ukraine for the sake of a peaceful settlement of the conflict; 33.5% would oppose such a solution, and 17.6% are hesitant.
A total of 3,000 respondents were interviewed in 24 Ukrainian regions and Kyiv between April 30 and May 10.