Ukraine Should Cede Territory to Russia, Americans Increasingly Believe

A new poll has shown there is growing sentiment in the U.S. that Ukraine should cede some of its territory to Russia.

Polls conducted by Gallup have found that support for Ukraine's efforts in the war is waning 20 months since Russia launched its full scale invasion. With the war unlikely to end soon, the limits on American patience is being tested as the Biden administration continues to send military aid to the country.

Gallup found that in August 2022, 66 percent of Americans surveyed believed the U.S. should support Ukraine in reclaiming its territory taken by Kremlin forces—even if this prolonged the conflict. But new data cited by Gallup from October shows this viewpoint is beginning to shift, as 54 percent of Americans still maintain that view—a decline of 12 points.

The pollster found that 43 percent now favor the U.S. trying to help end the war quickly, even if that means Ukraine giving up parts of its territory to Russia.

Newsweek has contacted the White House via email for comment.

The results are from a self-administered web survey of 2,007 random adults conducted by Gallup between October 4 and 16.

Other polls conducted at the same time show 61 percent of U.S. adults believe there should be a time limit on American aid to Ukraine, while 37 percent favor continuing support for Ukraine as long as it requests it. The division in opinions largely corresponds with party affiliations, as 84 percent of Republicans support implementing a time limit on Ukraine aid. A third of Democrats—34 percent—also express support for setting a time limit on U.S. aid.

The Gallup survey found that 41 percent of Americans think the U.S. is providing excessive assistance to Ukraine in its efforts to repel Russia from its borders. This marks a significant increase from the 29 percent recorded in June and the 24 percent in August 2022, which was six months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Notably, opposition to American involvement in the Ukraine war is strong among Republicans and independents. Among Republicans, 62 percent now believe the U.S. is overly involved in supporting Ukraine, marking a substantial 20-point increase from August 2022.

A significant portion of independents, nearly half, share this perspective, in contrast to just 14 percent of Democrats who believe that the U.S. is excessively aiding Kyiv.

Although various European countries have contributed to the war effort in Ukraine, America has significantly dominated the provision of support. The substantial involvement has sparked a political debate among some congressional leaders who advocate reducing the financial resources allocated to Kyiv.

Presently, 61 percent of Americans are of the opinion that the financial aid provided to Ukraine from Washington should be subject to limitations. This viewpoint is particularly prevalent among Republicans, with more than eight in 10 sharing this perspective. On the other hand, 37 percent of Americans, including 65 percent of Democrats, believe that the U.S. should continue offering assistance for as long as Ukraine requests it.

The polling comes as Ukraine's backers in Congress struggle to muster support for billions of dollars in funding in looming budget negotiations. Last month, Biden sought congressional approval for $106 billion in fresh funding intended for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific region, border security, and humanitarian assistance as part of a package aimed at addressing America's primary foreign policy priorities.

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