Americans sympathize with Ukraine but are split on supporting it
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For many foreign policymakers in Washington, the war in Ukraine is a top concern, but it does not rank high on many American voters’ lists of priorities.
Polling shows that Americans remain far more sympathetic toward Ukraine than Russia. A recent survey from the University of Maryland found that a majority of Americans (62 percent) sympathize more with Ukraine, including majorities from both the Republican (58 percent) and Democratic (76 percent) parties. Very few Americans sympathize more with Russia.
However, despite widespread sympathy for Ukraine, Republicans and Democrats tend to have significantly different views about the impact of the war on US interests and the extent to which the country should assist Ukraine.
According to a July poll from the Pew Research Center, about one-third of Americans believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine constitutes a “major threat” to US interests — a significant decrease from earlier in the war. In the recent poll, among Democrats, 45 percent said that Russia’s invasion poses a major threat for the US, while only 26 percent of Republicans agreed.
Variance in threat perception is probably a factor in shaping the extent to which Americans believe that they have a responsibility to assist Ukraine. The Pew poll found that 63 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters said that the US has a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself, compared to 62 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters who said that it does not have such a responsibility.
Republicans and Democrats tend to have significantly different views about the impact of the war on US interests
Kerry Boyd Anderson
Unsurprisingly, partisan divides in perceptions about the importance of the war to the US and the extent of America’s responsibility to assist Ukraine are also reflected in views of US policy. The University of Maryland poll found that 63 percent of Democrats “want the United States to stay the course in supporting Ukraine as long as it takes,” but only 37 percent of Republicans agreed.
In terms of whether the US is providing the right amount of assistance to Ukraine, the University of Maryland and the Pew Research Center polls found similar results. The former found that 39 percent of Democrats said that the current level of US funding for Ukraine was “about right,” while 19 percent said it was too little and 16 percent said it was too much. Among Republicans, only 15 percent said the current amount of aid is about right and 52 percent said it is too much. Similarly, the Pew poll found that 36 percent of Democrats said that the US is providing about the right amount of support to Ukraine and 27 percent said it should provide more. Among Republicans, 47 percent said the US is providing too much aid to Ukraine and only 18 percent said it is about right.
The positions of the parties’ candidates both reflect and shape the views of the American public. As the current vice president, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has helped to implement President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, including his support — within limits — for Ukraine. She has publicly advocated for aid to Ukraine and encouraged European allies to assist Kyiv. She has said that any deal to end the war must include Ukraine. On many foreign policy issues, including the war in Ukraine, Harris’ own positions as a candidate, separate from the Biden administration, are often unclear. However, she is widely expected to continue Biden’s support for Ukraine.
The positions of the parties’ candidates both reflect and shape the views of the American public
Kerry Boyd Anderson
Republican nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly said that, if elected, he would end the war immediately but without clarifying how. He has criticized the amount of aid that Washington is sending to Kyiv and has a long history of praising Russian President Vladimir Putin. His vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, has taken an even clearer position, opposing US aid to Ukraine. He has argued that it is not possible for Ukraine to win back its territory, even with US help, and that it is not in America’s interests to fund a “never-ending war in Ukraine.”
Vance has stated that Washington should be focusing on China rather than Russia and the war in Ukraine. In 2022, he stated that “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” arguing that Washington should focus resources on domestic needs. As a member of the US Senate, Vance voted against funding for Ukraine.
While Americans tend to sympathize with Ukraine, there is a stark divide among partisan votes and candidates on the extent to which the US should directly support Kyiv. Such a clear gap often elevates an issue to prominence in an election year. However, the war in Ukraine is not likely to play a major role in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Polling shows that foreign policy is not a top priority for most voters, who care more about domestic issues such as the economy, immigration, abortion and crime. Even among foreign policy issues, polling suggests that voters are more concerned about the Israel-Hamas war, China and terrorism than on Russia and the war in Ukraine. Sympathy does not always translate into active support, as Ukraine has experienced.
The outcome of the upcoming US election is crucial for Ukraine and will play a major role in shaping the extent of American support that Kyiv will receive in the next few years. Nonetheless, however important it may be to Ukraine, Russia and Europe, the war is unlikely to be a top priority for American voters.
- Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 18 years of experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. Her previous positions include deputy director for advisory with Oxford Analytica. X: @KBAresearch
