WASHINGTON (AP) – Many in the United States still doubt whether President Joe Biden is showing enough strength in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, although most approve of the steps Biden is already taking and few want US troops to get involved in the conflict. .
A survey by the Associated Press’s NORC Center for Public Affairs shows that 54% of Americans believe Biden “was not firm enough” in his response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thirty-six percent said his approach was almost correct, while 8 percent said it was too hard.
But as the war dragged on, Americans’ desire to get involved waned somewhat. Thirty-two percent of Americans say the United States should play a major role in the conflict. This was down 40% last month, although it remains slightly higher than the 26% who said so in February. An additional 49% say the United States should play a secondary role.
The results highlight the mystery of the White House. As images of Russian attacks on civilians and hospitals are shared around the world, there is pressure to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin and help millions of Ukrainians attacked in their home country or fleeing for safety. But Biden must also manage the threat of escalation with Putin, who has raised Russia’s readiness to use nuclear weapons and prevented US intervention in a much larger conflict.
“Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the military failures they have faced so far, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by the potential recourse to tactical nuclear weapons or low-level nuclear weapons. mining, “CIA Director William Burns said in a recent speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Burns added that “we have not seen much practical evidence so far” about Russia’s nuclear escalation.
The White House has authorized more than $ 2 billion in armaments and is leading Western sanctions that have ruined Russia’s economy. Biden announced an additional $ 800 million in military aid to Ukraine on Thursday. Biden ruled out sending US troops, a decision backed by a majority of Americans.
The United States has also seized some of Ukraine’s weapons and defense systems, and imposed early restrictions on intelligence sharing that were loosened during the conflict.
The poll and subsequent interviews with respondents show that many Americans, responding to images of murdered Ukrainians and Russian forces allegedly committing war crimes, want to see more action to stop Putin. The majority – 57% – say they believe Putin has targeted his troops to commit war crimes. Only 6% say it is not, while 36% say they are not sure.
“I know we are not directly responsible,” said Rachel Renfro, 35, of Nashville, Tennessee. “But we’ve always been the kind of person who gets into situations like that, and I don’t understand why we don’t do that more now.”
Renfro wants to see the United States accept more refugees and provide more aid to Ukraine. Sending troops must be an “absolute last resort”, she said.
Most Americans are in favor of the United States sanctioning Russia for the invasion by providing weapons to Ukraine and accepting refugees from Ukraine to the United States. response to Russia’s invasion, and about two-thirds say NATO membership is good for the United States
But public support has stopped, in addition to the deployment of US troops in Ukraine to fight Russian forces. Only 22% say they support the deployment of US troops in Ukraine to fight Russian forces, while 55% oppose it; 23% say they are neither for nor against.
Michael Gonzalez, 31, of Fort Collins, Colorado, said Biden’s response was “correct,” citing widespread sanctions against Russian banks, oligarchs and government officials and their families.
“In a perfect world, I wish we could go out there with the troops,” said Gonzalez, whose father served in the Cuban army and whose second father worked as a private contractor during the U.S. war in Afghanistan. “I feel we don’t have to control the world and go everywhere. I wish we could help them, but we have been fighting for some time. “
Biden faces other significant political challenges, such as the four-decade high with inflation peaking and rising energy prices exacerbated by the war. The study shows that the balance in the compromise between sanctions against Russia and the US economy may shift. With a small lead, Americans say the nation’s top priority is to sanction Russia as effectively as possible to limit the damage to the US economy, from 51% to 45%. Last month, more said they had given priority to sanctioning Russia over limiting damage to the economy, 55% to 42%.
Anthony Cordesman, honorary chairman of strategy at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Americans generally support many of the actions the White House is already taking. Building Ukraine’s air defenses or sending more tanks and planes also requires logistics, including radar and maintenance capabilities, which take much longer than many people would expect, Cordesman said.
The White House, which appeals to people who want more action, carries its own risk.
“If you start announcing in detail the limits of what we can do, you may or may not be able to reassure the American people, but you are providing Russia with a lot of information that you are unlikely to communicate,” Kordesman said.
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The AP-NORC survey of 1,085 adults was conducted April 14-18, using a sample from NORC’s AmeriSpeak probability-based panel, which is designed to be representative of the US population. The permissible sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
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