Republicans’ Views on Supporting Ukraine Swing Dramatically Ahead of Trump’s Meeting With Putin, New Poll Says

Ahead of President Trump’s meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Republican voters’ views of the war in Ukraine appear to be changing dramatically.A poll from the Pew Research Center found that Republicans’ views on American support for Ukraine have done a 180-degree turn. In February, 47 percent of Republicans and independents who lean Republican said they think America is sending too much support to Ukraine, while 30 percent disagreed. Six months later, the mood of Republicans appears to have switched as 30 percent said they think America is sending Ukraine too much support, while 46 percent disagreed. During the same period, the percentage of Republicans who said they think America should give military supplies to Ukraine increased to 51 percent from 30 percent, according to a poll from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.The Chicago Council survey also found that 84 percent of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of Mr. Putin. A data reporter for CNN, Harry Enten, broke down the poll results Friday morning and said they represent “quite the switcheroo” for Republicans ahead of Mr. Trump’s summit with Mr. Putin. The switch in the surveys comes after Mr. Trump voiced more frustration with Mr. Putin. In February, the American president had a contentious White House meeting with President Vladimir Zelensky that devolved into a shouting match. Mr. Trump said the Ukrainian leader “disrespected the United States” during the meeting, which sparked deep concerns about the future of America’s support for Ukraine.However, in May, after years of offering friendly words for Mr. Putin, such as calling him “pretty smart,” Mr. Trump seemed start growing frustrated with the Russian leader’s refusal to end the war.In May, Mr. Trump said Mr. Putin “has gone absolutely crazy,” and was “needlessly killing a lot of people.”Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Alaska, where the two leaders will meet on Friday, Mr. Trump said Russia will face “economically severe” consequences if he thinks Mr. Putin is not interested in ending the war. Mr. Trump also said he would like to see a cease-fire happen soon, and that he is “not going to be happy” if Russia and Ukraine do not agree to a cease-fire on Friday.

Republicans’ Views on Supporting Ukraine Swing Dramatically Ahead of Trump’s Meeting With Putin, New Poll Says

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