Americans - divided opinions on supporting Ukraine

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Americans' views on support for the war-torn country have shifted significantly.

A visualcapitalist.com analysis shows that just months after the outbreak of the war, only 6% of Republicans surveyed by the Wall Street Journal said America was doing too much for Ukraine. By December 2023, that share had risen to 56%. In line with President Donald Trump's "America First" policy, many Republicans now want to reduce military aid to Ukraine and instead focus on domestic issues.

The cited source brings to attention a YouGov poll on the opinion of Americans on the aid provided to Ukraine, conducted on a sample of 1,603 adults in the US, during the period February 16-18, 2025. According to it, Americans have mixed opinions on the war in Ukraine, clearly influenced by the political party they sympathize with. Overall, 30% of Americans believe that aid to Ukraine should be reduced, surpassing those who believe that it should remain the same (29%). At the same time, 21% believe that the aid should be increased and another 21% are not sure how this aid should evolve.

In particular, 45% of Republicans believe that America should reduce military aid provided to Ukraine, 24% believe that it should be maintained, and 10% believe that it should be increased. An even higher share of Republicans (60%) believe that US foreign aid should be reduced or eliminated altogether.

In contrast, Democrats favor increasing military aid to Ukraine (35%). 39% believe it should be maintained at the current level, and 10% believe it should be reduced. Among independents, 33% support a decrease in aid, 23% maintain it, and 19% increase it.

Looking beyond the opinions on aid, 62% of Americans sympathize with Ukraine, compared to 4% who side with Russia in the ongoing military conflict. At the same time, 24% do not sympathize with either side.

Recall that last week, US President Donald Trump suspended all military aid to Ukraine, following the conflict he had with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House, according to Reuters. With this decision, Trump aims to force Zelensky to negotiate peace with Vladimir Putin. The aid freeze applies to all military equipment not already in Ukraine.

White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz recently said that Trump would consider resuming aid to Ukraine if peace talks with Russia were held. Trump and US Vice President JD Vance have told Zelensky to make a peace deal with Russia or face the loss of US support. In return, Zelensky is refusing to make concessions to Putin and is demanding security guarantees in order to accept a peace deal.