AP Poll: Only 20% of Americans think U.S. should play ‘Major’ role in Russia-Ukraine conflict

The United States and the world are still recovering and trying to bounce back from two years of halted existence due to the global coronavirus pandemic, likely affecting positions on foreign affairs. As Russia pursues an invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden said Tuesday, “Defending freedom will have costs for us as well, here at home.”

According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Americans may be hesitant to get involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “Just 26% say the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict” according to the poll.

20% say the U.S. should have no involvement at all, and 52% say only a minor role should be played. The Associated Press notes that a December poll conducted by the same group showed Americans are primarily focused on economic issues such as inflation, and immigration.

According to the poll, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict, at 32% versus 22%. The poll also shows 43% of Americans now approve of Biden’s handling of the U.S. relationship with Russia, a downtick from 49% in June of last year.

Inflation is already at a record high and “oil prices jumped by more than $7 per barrel and futures for Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were off by more than 2.5%” reports the AP.

Biden’s administration has maintained that supporting Ukraine is also defending American values. AP reports:

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday noted that Americans may have different interpretations of a major U.S. role and reiterated that Biden would not send the U.S. military to Ukraine, though troops have deployed to nearby NATO member countries.

“We make national security decisions based on what’s best for our country’s national security, not on the latest polling,” she said.