Over half of U.S. adults are not confident that President Donald Trump can make “wise decisions” when it comes to the Ukraine and Russia war, a new survey from the Pew Research Center shows on Thursday.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for additional comment.
Why It Matters
The poll’s findings frame public expectations ahead of a high-profile bilateral meeting on Friday between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at discussing a potential ceasefire in Ukraine and broader U.S.-Russia issues, including Arctic cooperation.
What To Know
The Pew Research Center survey found 59 percent of U.S. adults were either “not too confident” or “not at all confident” that President Trump could make wise decisions about the Russia-Ukraine war; 40 percent expressed at least some confidence. The poll interviewed 3,554 U.S. adults between August 4 and August 10 with a margin of error of 1.8 percent.
The survey also shows key partisan differences: a substantial majority of Democrats say that the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine, with 66 percent, compared to 35 percent of Republicans. This number is up from 23 percent in a March survey, however.
The public also expressed views on U.S. assistance: Pew found 29 percent said the U.S. was not providing enough support to Ukraine, and 18 percent said it was providing too much, while 50 percent of Americans said the U.S. had a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself, and 47 percent said it did not.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Representative Jason Crow of Colorado on X this week: “Everyone wants Russia to stop its aggression & for an end to the war in Ukraine. But Trump keeps handing Vladimir Putin victories. Meeting in the U.S., without Ukraine at the table, is exactly what a dictator like Putin wants.”
Trump on Truth Social on Wednesday: “Very unfair media is at work on my meeting with Putin. Constantly quoting fired losers and really dumb people like John Bolton, who just said that, even though the meeting is on American soil, ‘Putin has already won.’ What’s that all about? We are winning on EVERYTHING. The Fake News is working overtime (No tax on overtime!).”
The president continued: “If I got Moscow and Leningrad free, as part of the deal with Russia, the Fake News would say that I made a bad deal! But now they’ve been caught. Look at all of the real news that’s coming out about their CORRUPTION. They are sick and dishonest people, who probably hate our Country. But it doesn’t matter because we are winning on everything!!! MAGA”
What Happens Next
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
Observers said the outcome could influence U.S. relationships with allies, Kyiv’s negotiating position and congressional appetite for future assistance to Ukraine.
