One-third of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of Russia: poll

One-third of Americans say they approve of President Biden’s handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a new poll released on Friday.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 33 percent of Americans say they approve of the president’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine situation, while 47 percent say they disapprove and 20 percent say they have no opinion.

Close to half of Americans polled — 48 percent — also said that they believed America’s leadership in the world had gotten weaker under Biden. Meanwhile, 23 percent said they believed it had gotten stronger and 26 percent said they believed it had stayed the same.

The president has registered in low approval ratings over the last few months amid another wave of coronavirus infections, soaring inflation and his handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

The poll comes amid Russian aggression in Ukraine. On Friday, Russian troops entered the capital of Kyiv. Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine early Thursday morning Moscow time, and on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the Ukrainian military to overthrow their own government.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Thursday that 137 Ukrainians had died since Russia launched its invasion and 316 others had been wounded.

“May the memory of those who gave their lives for Ukraine live forever,” the Ukrainian leader said in a statement.

Ukrainian officials, some U.S. lawmakers and others are urging for the Biden administration to remove Russia from the SWIFT banking system.

Biden has so far resisted those calls, defending his decision Thursday after announcing a new round of sanctions against Russia.

“The sanctions we imposed exceed SWIFT. The sanctions we imposed exceed anything that’s ever been done. The sanctions we imposed have generated two-thirds of the world joining us. They are profound sanctions. Let’s have a conversation in another month or so to see if they’re working,” Biden said.

The Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted between Feb. 20 and Feb. 24 with 1,011 adults surveyed. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.