Over 75% of Americans support additional sanctions on Russia, poll finds
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's reluctance to impose additional economic pressure on Moscow, some 77% of Americans are in favor of implementing additional sanctions on Russia to force an end to its war effort, a recent poll Harvard/Harris X poll found.
The poll, which survey 2,413 U.S. registered voters and was conducted between Oct. 1-2, showed overwhelming bipartisan support for additional sanctions on Moscow.
More Republican voters than Democrats supported the additional sanctions with 86% of Republican in favor of the new measures, while 71% of Democratic voters agreeing that the U.S. should impose the measures. Only 23% of respondents were opposed to new sanctions entirely.
The results illustrate the contrast between the prevailing views of the American public and the policies of the Trump administration.
Although Trump has at times threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia, he has seldom followed through on those threats and has consistently shot down domestic and international appeals to get tough on Moscow.
While Trump has reportedly called upon G7 partners to impose their own tariffs on China and India over their purchases of Russian oil, he has been reluctant to impose his own measures, having set shifting deadlines on their implementation.
In August, Trump made progress on implementing additional economic pressures, signing an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on imports from India in response to New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.
Later in September, Trump again shifted the deadline for new Russian sanctions stating that he would impose tougher sanctions on Moscow once European allies fully cease purchasing Russian oil.
When asked if the U.S. should impose tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, a majority, some 57%, of respondent believed that countries should be punished for the imports.
Two-thirds of voters from Trump's Republican Party supported the tariffs, while 55% of Democrats thought countries should be punished. Only 32% of respondents disagreed "for fear of antagonizing Russia."
Despite a lack of economic pressure, last month, the Trump administration approved its first military support package for Ukraine under the NATO-funded Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).
Respondents to the poll also overwhelmingly believed that the Trump administration should continue to provide weapons in addition to imposing further economic sanctions with 68% of respondent in agreeance.
The online poll is considered accurate +/- 1.99 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
