Some 56% of Americans believe that U.S. President Donald Trump is "too closely aligned" with Russia amid shifting U.S. foreign policy, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on March 13 found.
A total of 40% of respondents disagreed with the statement, the poll showed, while 4% chose not to answer.
Since taking office, Trump has distanced the U.S. from its traditional role as Ukraine’s primary supporter, instead questioning Kyiv’s commitment to peace and implying that Ukraine shares blame for the ongoing war.
Those agreeing with the statement were split heavily along partisan lines, with 89% of Democrats and just 27% of Republicans agreeing that Trump is "too closely aligned" with Russia.
Trump’s recent stance on Ukraine, including his public rebuke of President Volodymyr Zelensky and short-lived halt on U.S. military aid to Kyiv, has drawn praise from Russian officials while raising concerns among European allies.
His administration’s position has prompted Russian officials to express optimism about a potential thaw in U.S.-Russia relations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television on March 3 that "the new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations," calling the shift a positive development that "largely aligns" with Moscow's interests.
Since taking office Trump has called for Ukraine to sign a mineral resource deal with the United States. The deal was derailed after a spat between Zelensky, Trump, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Feb. 28.
Despite the complexities of the deal, a plurality of Americans, or 44%, said they support Trump's plan of "conditioning U.S. military support for Ukraine on the U.S. getting a share of Ukraine's mineral wealth."
The poll was conducted online among 1,422 U.S. adults between March 11-12 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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