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Trump vs. Harris: Americans prefer quick end to Ukraine war, polls show

28.10.2024 11:00
As the US presidential race enters the final stretch, polls indicate that a majority of Americans favor a negotiated end to the Ukraine conflict over continued aid.
Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Trump is running against Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.
Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Trump is running against Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.EPA/SARAH YENESEL

This suggests that former President Donald Trump's strategy is resonating more with voters than the current approach of the Biden administration, Polish state news agency PAP reported on Monday.

Polling by The Wall Street Journal shows that 50 percent of US voters place greater trust in Trump’s plan to expedite the end of the war, compared to 39 percent favoring Harris.

Additional polling by YouGov for The Economist this week revealed that 31 percent of respondents want reduced US aid to Ukraine, while 24 percent support increased assistance, and 25 percent favor maintaining current levels.

The Biden-Harris administration's firm stance to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and ensure Kyiv’s voice in any peace talks is apparently facing declining support as the issue ranks low among voter priorities in the upcoming election, according to Institute for Global Affairs (IGA) data.

Trump's pledge to end the war quickly appears more attractive to voters amid fatigue over the drawn-out conflict, said Lucas Robinson, an IGA researcher.

A survey has shown that 66 percent of voters in key battleground states agree the United States and its allies should push for a negotiated peace deal rather than continued open-ended support for Ukraine, he added.

The IGA’s September study suggests that only a minority of Americans see the United States' role as enforcing a Russian defeat or restoring Ukraine’s pre-2022 borders. Instead, voters prefer a strategy that mitigates the humanitarian cost of the war and avoids escalation, according to Robinson.

Experts say the trend could impact US allies in Europe.

"Dwindling support for Ukraine is worrying from a Central European perspective," said Paweł Markiewicz, head of the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Washington.

"An expedited US-Russia settlement that leaves Ukraine vulnerable may embolden Russia to rearm and destabilize the region in the future," he added.

(jh/gs)

Source: PAP