Americans in new survey split on whether Ukraine, Russia winning the war

Americans in a new survey are split over whether they think Ukraine or Russia is winning the war in Europe, but the majority say neither side is winning or they don’t know.

Americans were more likely to say Ukraine is currently winning (22 percent) than Russia (16 percent), but 34 percent said neither side is winning and the remaining 28 percent weren’t sure, the YouGov survey found.

The results of the survey have ebbed and flowed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but in recent weeks, more Americans have said they think Ukraine is gaining momentum.

In June, just 11 percent of Americans said they thought Ukraine was winning. At that same time, 22 percent thought Russia was winning.

The survey follows the announcement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his country had captured a key Russian town, Sudzha, in a shocking invasion across the border.

Zelensky’s announcement came after Ukrainian troops hit Russian air bases with drones and missiles, forcing Russia to backtrack.

His forces advanced into Russia’s Kursk region and are pressuring the U.S. to lift restrictions on long-range strikes.

Despite the survey finding that Americans think Ukraine is performing well, they are still split evenly on who will eventually win the war.

Twenty-three percent of respondents said they think Russia will eventually win, while 23 percent also said Ukraine will.

The American public was more likely to think that President Biden and Vice President Harris sympathize with Ukrainian people than former President Trump. More than two-thirds, 67 percent, said Biden sympathizes with Ukrainians, and Harris trailed at 59 percent. Just 21 percent said they think Trump sympathizes with Kyiv, and 37 percent think he sympathizes with Russia.

A quarter of all respondents, 25 percent, said the United States should increase military aid to Ukraine. Twenty-seven percent said current levels of military aid should be maintained and 28 percent said they think the U.S. should decrease aid, the survey found.

The survey was conducted Aug. 17–20 among 1,565 Americans and has a margin of error of 3 percent.