Americans are split along political lines when it comes to funding for Ukraine’s war effort, who they think will win the war with Russia, and their perceptions of the embattled Eastern European nation.
That’s according to recent polling by The Economist and YouGov that surveyed 1,651 adults shortly after Congress passed a $95 billion aid package that included $61 billion for Ukraine. The country has been at war with Russia for over two years now after Moscow invaded.
No Consensus on Ukraine Funding
The poll showed Americans were roughly evenly divided on the question of whether military aid to Ukraine should increase, decrease or stay the same.
Twenty-eight percent of U.S. adults surveyed said the U.S. should increase support to Kyiv, whilst 29 percent favored providing less. 26 percent would choose to maintain current levels of funding.
There was a starker divide in attitudes to aid when broken down by party affiliation. Most Democrats would like to see more military aid provided, while almost the same percentage of Republicans would favor a decrease.
Just under a third of both Democrats and Republicans agree that aid should be maintained at the same level, similar to the total number of respondents.
Newsweek has contacted Ukraine’s U.S. embassy for comment.
Biden and Trump Supporters Disagree Over Which Side Will Win
There was also a stark contrast of opinion between supporters of President Biden and former President Donald Trump over which country will eventually win the conflict.
When asked “who is more likely to be the eventual winner of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine?”, 41 percent of respondents who intended to vote for Trump said they thought Russia would win, whilst only 12 percent said Ukraine.
Conversely, just 26 percent of Biden voters said Russia would win the conflict whilst 36 percent said Ukraine would prevail.
Most Americans believe that Russia is more likely to win the war.
Voters Split on U.S.-Ukraine Relationship
The poll illuminated a marked difference in how Trump and Biden supporters define Ukraine in relation to the U.S.
Whilst both camps broadly agreed on Ukraine being defined as a friendly country, opinions on whether Ukraine is an ally of the U.S. differed dramatically.
Almost half (49 percent) of Americans who plan to vote for Biden said they considered Ukraine to be a U.S. ally. Just 14 percent of Trump supporters gave the same answer.
Twenty-two percent of Trump voters said they considered Ukraine unfriendly or an enemy of the U.S., higher than other groups.
Newsweek has approached both the Biden and Trump campaigns for comment on this story.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.