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(CN) — Democrats and Republicans remain divided on U.S. policy toward Ukraine as its conflict with Russia continues for a third year, according to a survey published Monday by the Pew Research Center.
The split comes down to whether Americans believe the U.S. has a responsibility to help the war-torn country defend itself from Russia’s invasion, the nonpartisan think tank reports. About two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine, while only about a third of Republicans shared the sentiment.
A majority of Americans approved of keeping strict economic sanctions against Russia, Pew found.
Less than half of Republicans supported continuing to send military aid to Ukraine, compared to almost three-fourths of Democrats.
About half of the survey’s respondents expressed concern Russia would invade other countries in the region. The same percentage feared the war would continue for many years.
Pew surveyed 9,424 U.S. adults between July 1 and July 7, before President Joseph Biden announced he was dropping his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Under Biden, the U.S. has been a critical supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion of the country in February 2022.
The U.S. has provided $175 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but the country has struggled in recent months to slow Russia’s advance across its Eastern border. On July 11, Biden announced a new $225 million aid package for the country, including a Patriot missile system to bolster the country’s air defenses.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has vacillated between criticizing U.S. support for Ukraine and supporting it. At the Republican National Convention, Trump pledged to end the fighting, though he did not elaborate on how he would accomplish the goal. His running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, has led Republican efforts to block billions in U.S. military and financial assistance to the country.
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