As the debate continues in Washington over sending additional federal support to Kyiv, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has revealed that nearly half of the American public believes the US is over-investing in aid to Ukraine.
This comes at a time when the Pentagon has almost exhausted Ukraine aid funds and Ukraine continues to grapple with Russian aggression, underlining a stark division in US public sentiment. The US lawmakers, meanwhile, remain far from approving new funding.
The reluctance to continue funding Ukraine is primarily driven by Republican constituents, who are increasingly vocal about their opposition. This sentiment has translated into a tangible resistance among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who are challenging President Joe Biden's efforts to secure a new tranche of aid for Ukraine. They argue that these funds would be more beneficial if redirected toward domestic priorities.
Yet opposition to the aid has seen a slight decrease from the previous month's figures. According to the poll, 45% of Americans now believe that the government's spending on Ukraine is excessive, compared to 52% who believed so in October.
Notably, the shift seems to be influenced by a change in perspective within the Republican ranks, where opposition to aid spending has reduced from 69% to 59%.
"More than one-third (38%) of US adults say that current spending is “about the right amount,” which is up slightly from last month (31%). Among Republicans, nearly 3 in 10 (29%) say the current spending is about right, up from 20% last month," AP-NORC wrote.
Another AP-NORC poll revealed that 48% of Americans support providing weapons to Ukraine, while only 39% (54% of Democrats, 24% of Republicans) support sending funds directly to Ukraine:
Read also:
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- Pentagon urges Congress to pass funding for Ukraine, Israel
- Financial Times: US Congress is far from passing Biden’s $106 billion request for security aid to Ukraine and Israel
- White House: Current US funds for Ukraine are 96% depleted
