Republicans Are Warming To Biden’s Handling Of Ukraine Crisis, Poll Finds

Republican disapproval of the Biden Administration's response to the war in Ukraine has fallen by 12 percentage points in the past two months.

Overall approval for the Biden Administration's handling of the war in Ukraine has been fairly stable, at 45% in March and 45% in May, while disapproval fell from 39% to 34%, reflecting a greater proportion of respondents who did not provide an answer on the topic.

The share of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who opposed the administration's response to the war fell from March to May, while the disapproval rate remained the same.

The proportion of people who strongly disapproved of the administration's response fell from 42% to 27% among Republicans and from 5% to 3% among Democrats.

When it came to specific policy questions, Republicans and Democrats both approved of imposing harsh economic sanctions on Russia.

The bipartisan support in Congress for defense aid bills that have helped send $3.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion is mirrored by the fact that more than 70% of Republicans and more than 70% of Democrats approve of sending military hardware to Ukraine.

The majority of Americans are worried about Russia invading other countries in the region.

In May, 5,074 U.S. adults were surveyed online.

The approval of the Biden Administration's handling of the war fell among Democrats from March to May.

Key Background

Shortly before the invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump remarked that Russian President Putin was a genius. Despite this, most Republican legislators were quick to condemn the invasion and brand Putin a war criminal over evidence of atrocities in Ukraine. The majority of Republicans think the U.S. isn't doing enough to assist Ukraine. The drop in Republican disapproval of the administration's handling of the war may have been caused by Biden's request for $20 billion in additional military aid. The law signed by Biden on Monday could greatly accelerate the pace of U.S. military aid to Ukraine. A separate bill that hasn't been approved yet would provide Ukraine with nearly $40 billion in aid, including nearly $20 billion in defense aid. The bill will be debated in the House and the Senate in the next week. In the next few days, Biden urged Congress to pass the bill and present it to him.

What To Watch For

The Ukraine war is important to voters, but it is not likely to be a decisive issue in the November elections. According to a March Gallup poll, 22% of Americans think poor government leadership is the most important issue facing the country, while 17% think high cost of living and inflation is the most important issue, and 11% think the economy is the most important issue. The situation with Russia and Ukraine was the biggest problem for Americans. Economic issues dominated Americans' priorities in a February poll, but there were no questions about the Ukraine war.

The Conservatives are defending Russia in the Ukraine crisis.