WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans are divided about evenly over whether the U.S. should continue to help Ukraine win back territory it lost in the war with Russia, even in a prolonged conflict (48%), or try to reach a quick end to the conflict, even if that means Ukraine does not recover all of its land (50%). This marks a shift from prior readings, when the majority of Americans backed a fight for total victory.
Americans are also split as to whether the U.S. is doing too much (37%), the right amount (31%) or not enough (30%) to aid Ukraine. More Americans now than in March say the U.S. is doing the right amount, while fewer say it is not doing enough.
Partisans’ preferences for U.S. involvement in the war continue to differ sharply, with Republicans largely preferring a quick end and favoring less support for Ukraine, while Democrats broadly back a prolonged commitment and at least a continuation of the current level of help for Ukraine.
A steady 68% of U.S. adults say neither Russia nor Ukraine is currently winning the war, including similar percentages of Republicans, Democrats and independents.
The latest findings are from a Â鶹´«Ã½AV poll conducted by web Dec. 4-15.
More Americans Now Favor Quick End to the War
Â鶹´«Ã½AV has measured Americans’ preferences for U.S. involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war six times since August 2022, about six months after Russia’s initial invasion. The current 48% support for the U.S. helping Ukraine reclaim the territory it has lost in the war with Russia marks the first time the reading has slipped below the majority level.
However, support for helping Ukraine for as long as necessary had been declining before now. While it ranged from 62% to 66% in three readings between August 2022 and June 2023, backing for potential prolonged U.S. involvement dropped eight percentage points in October 2023, to 54%, as the war continued. Views were steady in March before the latest shift.
The recent increase in Americans’ desire to hasten the end of the war is owed to a 20-point surge among Republicans (to 74%) and a nine-point rise among Democrats (to 30%) since March -- new highs for each group. At the same time, independents’ current 47% preference for an expeditious conclusion to the war is statistically similar to March’s 52%.
While more Democrats favor bringing the war to a swift end than did so earlier this year, the majority, 69%, still prefer that the U.S. help Ukraine reclaim the territory it lost to Russia. Half of independents and 25% of Republicans share this view.
Americans Are Divided in Their Preferences for U.S. Assistance
The slim plurality of Americans now say the U.S. is doing too much to help Ukraine (37%) rather than the right amount (31%) or not enough (30%).
These views have shifted over the course of the war. Early in the conflict, in August 2022, Americans divided about evenly between saying the U.S. was doing the right amount or not enough to help Ukraine, with only about one in four saying it was doing too much.
In the first half of 2023, the largest percentage of Americans -- about four in 10 -- said the U.S. was doing the right amount. Since then, between 36% and 41% of Americans have said the U.S. is doing too much.
Compared with March 2024, slightly fewer Americans (down six points) say the U.S. is not supporting Ukraine enough, and the percentage saying U.S. support is the right amount has risen five points.
A new high of 67% of Republicans say the U.S. is doing too much to assist Ukraine, up from 57% in March and 43% in August 2022. That compares with 11% of Democrats and 35% of independents who currently believe the U.S. is doing too much.
A plurality of Democrats, 48%, do not think the U.S. is doing enough, but this is 12 points lower than the March reading. At the same time, the 41% of Democrats who say U.S. involvement is the right amount is 15 points higher than nine months ago.
Independents are about evenly divided, much like national adults. While more independents now (35%) than in August 2022 (28%) say the U.S. is doing too much to help Ukraine, the current figure is nine points lower than in October 2023.
Most Americans Still Believe Neither Side Is Winning War in Ukraine
Since Â鶹´«Ã½AV started asking the question in June 2023, majorities of Americans have consistently said neither the Russians nor the Ukrainians are winning the war in Ukraine, including the latest, 68%. U.S. adults are currently more than twice as likely to say Russia is winning the war rather than Ukraine, which is a departure from the two 2023 readings that showed Ukraine having an edge over Russia among those who perceived that one side had an advantage.
There is no significant difference in partisans’ view that neither side is winning the war, but Republicans (23%) and independents (24%) are slightly more likely than Democrats (18%) to say Russia is, while Democrats (15%) are slightly more likely than Republicans (7%) and independents (9%) to say Ukraine has the edge.
Bottom Line
Americans have become increasingly supportive of seeing a quick end to the Russia-Ukraine war, and Ukrainians may agree. A recent Â鶹´«Ã½AV poll in Ukraine found that a slim majority of Ukrainians now favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. Just over half of this group is open to territorial concessions as part of a peace deal.
Donald Trump will take office one month before the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the president-elect has said he will quickly negotiate a peaceful end to the war that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the displacement of millions of people, and increasing tensions between Russia and the West. While this aligns with the views of his fellow Republicans, most Democrats are not on board, and independents are evenly split.
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