As the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches, American citizens are less and less supportive of arms shipments to Ukraine and direct economic assistance, according to a survey by the AP-NORC Public Affairs Research Center (AP-NORC).
48% say they approve of the US sending weapons to Ukraine, while 29% oppose and 22% say they have no opinion on the matter. In May 2022, shortly after the war began, 60% of American citizens said they supported sending weapons to Ukraine.
Americans are almost evenly split on sending government funds directly to Ukraine, with 37% agreeing, 38% disapproving, and 23% having no opinion.
The results of declining support for Ukraine are becoming clear as President Joe Biden prepares to visit Poland next week, where he will mark the first anniversary of Europe’s most serious conflict since World War II, BTA notes.
Rep. Joe Hernandez of Rocklin, Calif., said it’s hard to support the U.S.’s lavish military spending and economic cooperation with Ukraine when many American communities can’t cope with the effects of migrants entering the U.S. through the southern border. border. He also mentioned the rise in drug overdoses caused by fentanyl and other synthetic drugs made in labs, as well as the homelessness crisis in his state.
Biden has repeatedly said that the United States will help Ukraine “as long as necessary” to repel the Russian invasion, which began on February 24 last year. In private conversations, administration officials have warned Ukrainian officials that the patience of a deeply divided Congress and the American public for spending on a war with no clear end is limited. In 2022, Congress approved about $113 billion in economic, humanitarian, and military spending.
The poll found that 19% of Americans are confident in Biden’s ability to handle the situation in Ukraine, while 37% say they are not completely convinced and 43% have almost no confidence in him.
Opinions on Biden’s handling of the war are largely divided along party lines. Among Democrats, 40 percent say they have a lot of confidence in Biden to handle the situation, 50 percent have some confidence, and 9 percent have almost no confidence. Among Republicans, 76% say they have almost no confidence in the president. These results were largely unchanged from last May.
