Almost half of Americans believe that the US government is spending “too much” on military and financial aid to Ukraine, Financial Times reported.
Residents of the United States are increasingly worried about the state of their own economy. Extremely negative attitude to support for Ukraine is especially clearly demonstrated by Republicans.
The results of a poll by The Financial Times and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan showed that it will be difficult for the White House to get additional support for Kyiv on the eve of the Ukrainian President’s visit to Washington.
Some 48% of Americans believe the US is spending “too much” on military and financial aid to Kyiv, a fresh poll by The Financial Times and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan showed. 27 per cent of respondents believe Washington’s support is sufficient, while 11 per cent think it would be worth increasing aid, according to Financial Times.
Opposition was strongest among Republicans, with 65 per cent saying American aid to Ukraine is excessive, compared with about half of non-partisans (52 per cent) and only a third of Democrats (32 per cent).
The poll comes at a time when Joe Biden is struggling to persuade a divided Congress to approve a massive $111 billion security spending package that would include $60 billion for Kyiv, along with funding for Israel and Taiwan.
Zelensky will travel to Washington on Tuesday for a meeting with Biden, where he will, according to the White House, “underscore the United States’ unwavering commitment” to Kyiv’s military efforts.
The poll shows a sad picture for pro-Ukrainian Republicans in Congress, who are desperately looking for some kind of compromise to approve the funding. To placate Republicans, the White House included billions of dollars in its proposal for increased security along the border with Mexico, Financial Times reports.
Republican strategist Doug Heye said future US aid to Ukraine was “questionable,” adding:
“Republicans in Congress are on the same page with voters.”
While respondents appeared generally inclined to help Israel, the poll found considerable scepticism about helping the Jewish state in the war against Hamas. 40 per cent of respondents said the US spends “too much” on military and financial aid to Israel, while only 30 per cent thought Washington’s support was appropriate and proportionate.
The high level of opposition to military aid to Israel and Ukraine comes amid heightened concern about the state of the US economy, with only 25 percent of respondents describing the state of the US economy as “good” or “excellent”.
Americans continue to see high inflation as their main financial concern, although the survey found slightly more optimism about economic conditions than last month. However, the gloomy outlook continues to undermine prospects for Biden’s re-election: only 17% of Americans believe their financial situation has improved under Biden’s leadership. 53% of those surveyed believe the opposite, according to Financial Times.
This is only a slight improvement from the previous month, when 14% of Americans said their finances have improved under Biden’s leadership. Back then, as many as 55% said things had gotten worse.
The surge in consumer spending has become a major challenge for a president who is trying to advertise a strong labour market and emphasising GDP figures, while referring to his ambitious industrial strategy as “bidenomics”.
The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group, a Democratic polling firm, and North Star Opinion Research, a Republican research firm, from 5 to 6 December. It reflected the opinions of 1,004 registered voters nationwide and has a statistical margin of error of 3.1 percent.
