Exclusive: US grows weary over military support for Ukraine

Swing state voters believe the US government has already given too much aid to Kyiv

Voters in key US battleground states believe that America has given too much military support to Ukraine, a new Telegraph poll reveals, as Joe Biden faces a fresh battle over the war effort on Capitol Hill.
A third of voters in six swing states said they thought America had spent “too much” on supporting Ukraine, while a large minority in five of the six said aid should now be cut.
The poll comes as Mr Biden brings his supplemental request for $61 billion (£48 billion) back to Congress, in an attempt to pass the funding before Russia’s winter bombing campaign destroys key infrastructure in Ukraine.
The latest swing state tracker poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for The Telegraph shows that Donald Trump has more support for his Ukraine policy in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
In five of the six states, 32 per cent of respondents said US support for Ukraine had been too high, with 33 per cent reporting the same in Pennsylvania.
Between 30 and 37 per cent said support should be decreased, with between 15 and 19 per cent arguing it should be increased.
Mr Trump has pledged to end the war in “one day” by organising negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky and ending the supply of American munitions which have been used to win back territory captured by Russia since February 2022.
In five of the six states, voters thought that the war in Ukraine would not be happening if Mr Trump had won the 2020 election. Asked which country represented the greatest threat to the United States, 25 per cent or fewer in all six states said “Russia”.
Of the six swing states, voters in Georgia were most concerned about the war, with 34 per cent reporting that it would be an “extremely important” factor in their decision on polling day.
The White House has warned that the available funding to send weapons to Ukraine from US stockpiles has now run out – meaning Ukrainian forces cannot receive any more American weapons until Congress passes a resolution.
However, the war faces opposition from Republican congressmen, who have demanded a major spending package for border security measures as the price of their support.
Republicans in the House of Representatives look set to reject any compromise negotiated with the White House by more moderate Republicans in the Senate, and have demanded Mr Biden adopt a controversial “HR 2” border bill that would see the erection of 900 miles of border wall and a significant cut in asylum claims.
Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, is reportedly planning to negotiate with Mr Biden directly in an effort to construct a deal on military spending later this month.
The Telegraph’s poll shows that voters in swing states are more supportive of the US government’s backing of Israel – with the largest group of voters in five of the six states believing that the military aid given to Tel Aviv is “the right amount”.
Asked whether the US should increase, decrease or maintain its current levels of support, the largest group in all six states said the Biden administration should maintain it.
Unlike the war in Ukraine, most voters believe that the war in Gaza would still be happening if Mr Trump was president.
The poll also suggests that voters remain unconvinced by Mr Biden’s economic message, with respondents ranking the economy as their top concern but around half reporting that they disapproved or strongly disapproved of his performance on that issue.
Asked which of Mr Biden or Mr Trump they trusted more on the economy, Mr Trump performed better in all six states, with the support of between 43 and 49 per cent of respondents.
Mr Trump remains ahead of Mr Biden in a hypothetical race in all six states, with a nine-point lead in Florida and a six-point lead in Arizona and Georgia.
The former president also remains ahead of his competitors for the Republican nomination, with the first primary voting set to begin next week in Iowa.

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