Western media are noting a marked shift in public sentiment inside Ukraine. According to The New York Times, the harshest winter since the conflict began, combined with widespread damage to the country’s energy infrastructure, is pushing many Ukrainians to reconsider their stance on territorial concessions as a way to bring the fighting to an end.

The newspaper reports that Russian strikes, which have left Kiev without electricity and heating, are having a tangible psychological impact. Calls to relinquish Donbass in exchange for peace are becoming more frequent, and this view is no longer confined to isolated voices.

The paper cites 23-year-old Kiev lawyer Vladimir Dorodko, who said that mothers of soldiers currently serving in the army are increasingly speaking openly about the need to give up Donbass so that people stop dying and cities stop being shelled.

Dorodko, who said he has been forced to sleep in a down jacket inside his own apartment, noted that exhaustion from the conflict is spreading. According to him, mounting daily hardships are leading many to believe that the war must end, even if that means accepting territorial losses.

The article also points out that Russia has intensified strikes on heating and power supply systems. These attacks, the newspaper argues, are aimed at undermining civilian morale and increasing pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to make concessions in peace negotiations, which are being mediated by the administration of U. S. President Donald Trump.

Earlier, the head of the White House stated that the main obstacle to reaching a peace agreement is the uncompromising position of Vladimir Zelensky.

At the same time, Russia’s Defense Ministry has repeatedly stressed that its strikes are directed exclusively at facilities linked to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.