Just over half of Americans—51%—think the U.S. should send weapons and other military aid to Ukraine, while the rest are opposed, according to a poll.
CBS conducted the survey largely before an explosive Oval Office meeting on Friday between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents.
The clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent shockwaves through the diplomatic world, sparking concern that the U.S. leader’s level of commitment to supporting Ukraine could wane as it fends off the Russian invasion.
The CBS survey found that 46% of Americans thought Trump’s handling of the Ukraine-Russia conflict has favored Moscow, while 43% thought he has treated both countries equally.
Only 11% of respondents thought Trump favored Ukraine.
The president’s overall approval rating remains positive but has shrunk slightly to 51% from an early February reading of 53%.
Americans overwhelmingly agreed that since Trump’s reelection, America’s relations with other countries have changed, with 76% describing these as “major” and 16% as “minor.”
But they remained split on Trump’s new approach to foreign policy, with 42% believing this has changed for the worse and 31% for the better. The rest replied that it was too soon to say.
The poll also suggests most Americans support a collaborative approach to international politics, with 67% responding that the U.S. should work alongside its allies. But only 16% thought it should take on a leading role. Seventeen percent thought it should not get involved with the rest of the world in global politics.
Americans continue to support Western European nations, with 96% seeing these as allies or friendly countries.
The poll found that American support for war-torn Ukraine is much more divided.
Asked to choose a side in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, a slim majority of Americans, 52%, backed Ukraine while 4% supported Russia. Meanwhile, 44% declared support for neither side.
