 "US President Donald Trump. AP File")
Nearly half of American voters believe President Trump favours Russia over Ukraine, according to The Hill report, citing a recent poll as Trump administration seeks to mediate a peace deal between the two countries.
According to the report, citing NBC News poll, only 8% of those surveyed feel Trump supports Ukraine in the ongoing war, which began three years ago with Russia’s invasion. In contrast, 61% of respondents expressed their personal support for Ukraine in the conflict.
Additionally, 2% of participants indicated they are more sympathetic to Russia, while 35% said they do not favour either side.
About a third of respondents said they think Trump is neutral in the conflict — a position the president has stressed.
“If I didn’t align myself with both of them, you’d never have a deal,” The Hill quoted Trump as saying last month.
“I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States of America, and for the good of the world,” he added.
The NBC News poll coincides with Trump’s announcement that he is scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, he said that “a lot of work has been done over the weekend” regarding the peace negotiations.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“We’re doing pretty well, I think, with Russia,” Trump said. “See if we have something to announce maybe Tuesday.”
“We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” he added.
Initial attempts by the Trump administration to negotiate a ceasefire with Russia, excluding representatives from Ukraine and other European nations, sparked international concerns about the commitment to ending the war.
These worries intensified following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s tense meeting with Trump and Vice President Vance in the Oval Office, which occurred shortly after the U.S. voted against a United Nations resolution condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The NBC News poll, conducted online and by phone from March 7 to 11 with 1,000 registered voters, has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
With inputs from agencies