How should America handle the ongoing war in Ukraine?
Image: Gallup
It’s been nearly a year-and-a-half since Russia first invaded Ukraine, and Americans’ views on their government’s role in the conflict are changing.
A newly-published CNN/SSRS poll found a majority of the US public (55%) says Congress should not authorize any additional funding to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.
This marks a sharp uptick from as recently as June, when Gallup found just 28% of Americans thought the US was giving too much support to Ukraine – though opinions have been slowly trending in that direction since the early days of the war.
While there isn’t an official tally for how much aid the US government has provided Ukraine since the war began, estimates range from $66 billion to $100 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian assistance over the past 17+ months. For context, the second-largest recipient of US foreign aid over the same period was Israel, at $8.6 billion.
There’s been a recent legislative push in Congress to cut back on funds towards Ukraine, though the movement doesn’t appear popular enough to affect policy just yet.
- A group of House Republicans last month proposed a series of five amendments to the annual military spending bill that would have restricted foreign aid to Ukraine, but none of the measures received more than 30% support in the chamber.
- One week later, a GOP-backed Senate bill that would’ve limited US spending towards Ukraine until every NATO member commits to minimum defense spending levels was defeated by a 71-13 vote.
🇺🇦🪖 An update on the war: Ukraine is in the midst of a counteroffensive, launched at the start of June, that’s aimed at retaking some or all of the nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory Russia has captured and occupied since the war began.
But the slow pace of Ukraine’s troops in recent weeks indicates the conflict has no clear end in sight, which would likely challenge the US government’s ability to keep sending funds to Ukraine, officials told the WSJ.
đź“Š Flash poll: In your opinion, should Congress keep authorizing additional funding to support Ukraine in its war against Russia for the foreseeable future?
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that America has a responsibility to ensure that Ukraine remains free from Russian control, and should continue sending money to Kyiv to aid in their defense.
- Others contend that those who support the war in Ukraine should reframe the argument to point out that America’s current level of support for Ukraine is a small price to pay for stopping an aggressive and unpredictable Russia without actually putting NATO boots on the ground.
- “How to ensure Ukraine’s long-term survival” –WaPo Editorial Board
- “The Ugly Case for Continuing to Support Ukraine” –Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg
- “The next Congress could cause Ukraine to lose the war” –Josh Rogin, WaPo
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that many common-sense Americans have grown tired of President Biden’s indefinite commitment to supporting Ukraine, and that the funds should instead be funneled towards addressing domestic issues.
- Others contend that the tens of billions Congress has already sent to Ukraine is worth the expense in the interests of national security, but the US government should take steps to ensure that it’s all being spent properly with as little waste as possible.
- “​​Americans grow tired of sending money to Ukraine” –Byron York, Washington Examiner
- “America's billions in aid to Ukraine isn’t charity, but it can't be wasted” –Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ)
- “Where’s All That Military Aid for Ukraine Going?” –WSJ Editorial Board
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