Americans Overwhelmingly Don’t Want U.S. To Risk War With Russia In Aiding Ukraine, Poll Finds

Topline

A large majority of Americans want the U.S. to be cautious in its assistance to Ukraine and not take steps that could provoke war with Russia, a new Quinnipiac poll found, as President Joe Biden announced more military assistance for Ukraine on Wednesday but faces pressure from members of Congress and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do more.

President Joe Biden (L) speaks on Ukraine as Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on at the … [+] Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 16 in Washington, D.C.

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Key Facts

A 75% majority of Americans said the “U.S. should do whatever it can to help Ukraine, without risking a direct war between the U.S. and Russia,” according to the poll, conducted March 10-14 among 1,936 U.S. adults.

Only 17% support the U.S. doing whatever it can to help Ukraine, even if it provokes a war.

Majorities of every demographic group support the U.S. not going so far as to risk a war, though Republicans were slightly less in favor of a cautious approach than Democrats (69% of GOP adults don’t want to risk war, versus 82% of Democrats).

Respondents were broadly concerned about the war in Ukraine, with 79% saying it concerns them more than the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Most Americans are paying attention to the conflict, with 52% saying they’re following it “very closely” and 37% following it “somewhat closely.”

A plurality of respondents disapproved of Biden’s response to the Ukraine conflict—in contrast to some other recent polling—with 49% disapproving of how he’s handling the crisis and 42% approving.

Surprising Fact

While only 17% of respondents support the U.S. helping Ukraine even if it risks war, 32% said they’d support NATO imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine—despite the fact that NATO has said doing so would likely provoke war with Russia.

Key Background

Several other recent polls have found Americans largely don’t want the U.S. to assist Ukraine in a way that could spur a war, though some have found slightly higher levels of support for intervening militarily. Biden has been clear he won’t , believing doing so would provoke a world war. The U.S. has so far primarily punished Russia through economic sanctions and providing weapons to Ukraine. Biden announced $800 million more worth of military assistance for Ukraine on Wednesday, including anti-aircraft systems, tactical unmanned aerial systems, firearms, ammunition and body armor. The new assistance comes after Congress approved $13.6 billion for aid to Ukraine as part of its spending bill.

What To Watch For

Whether Biden will go even further. Zelensky appealed to the president Wednesday in an address to Congress that asked Biden to “close the skies” over Ukraine through a no-fly zone, or else as an alternative provide Ukraine with fighter jets and air defense systems like the Soviet-era S-300, noting the U.S. “[has] them, but they … do not defend our people.” Republican lawmakers have pressured Biden to do more and equip the Ukrainians with fighter jets and other weaponry. Biden said Wednesday that the U.S. would “continue to do more in the days and weeks ahead” to help Ukraine, but declined to address Zelensky’s appeal for more aircraft assistance, saying only the U.S. would continue “strengthening the hand of Ukrainians on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.” U.S. defense officials have said they believe more fighter aircraft would not be useful for Ukraine, but they’re looking into procuring mid- and high-altitude Soviet-made air defense systems from former Eastern Bloc countries to complement the low-altitude man-portable anti-aircraft missiles the U.S. and other allies have provided Ukraine.

Tangent

The Quinnipiac poll also found Americans have strong negative feelings toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Biden described for the first time Wednesday as a “war criminal” for Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian civilians. A 60% majority characterized the Russian leader as “mentally unstable,” and 57% say they view public figures less favorably if they’ve praised Putin amid the Ukraine conflict—as former President Donald Trump and Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson have been criticized for doing.