As the war between Russia and Ukraine approaches its one-year mark, support for sending aid to Ukraine has waned among the American people.
A recent poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that less than half (48%) of American adults now support providing weapons to Ukraine. In May last year, it was supported by 60% of Americans.
Only 37% of Americans now support sending taxpayer dollars directly to Ukraine, while 38% say they are opposed. Last year, 44% supported financial aid to Ukraine, and only 32% were opposed.
Alex Hoxeng, a 37-year-old Republican from Midland, said that he expected the GOP to more strongly oppose sending American tax dollars to Ukraine, noting that inflation is on the rise.
“We should just stay out of it,” he said, as reported by the Associated Press. “Ukraine is halfway around the world, and we have our own problems.”
Big Spring resident Shandi Carter, 51, who said that she usually votes Republican, voiced her irritation about how the war in Ukraine has affected the American people, citing rising fuel prices and grocery costs.
“I just wish it was over. I wish it had never started,” she said, per the Associated Press. “It didn’t matter if there was a Democrat or Republican there. Putin was going to do what he wanted to do.”
However, Janice Fortado of Massachusetts said she believes President Biden should be commended for the way he has managed the war but now disagrees with his hesitation to send fighter jets.
“As my opinion evolved, I came to wish we had offered more to Ukraine sooner,” said Fortado, a 78-year-old Democrat, as reported by the Associated Press.
Most Americans still believe the U.S. should be involved in the Russia-Ukraine war to some extent, the poll showed.
The U.S. should play a “minor role” in the war, according to 49% of respondents, while 26% believe the nation should have a “major role.”
Only 24% of Americans believe the U.S. should not be involved with the war at all, according to this poll.
The poll also found that 63% of Americans favor imposing economic sanctions on Russia, and 55% support accepting Ukrainian refugees into the U.S.