Over half of U.S. adults are not confident that President Donald Trump can make "wise decisions" when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war, a new survey from Pew Research Center shows on Thursday.
The poll's findings frame public expectations ahead of a high-profile bilateral meeting in Alaska on Friday between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at discussing a potential ceasefire in Ukraine and broader U.S.-Russia matters, including Arctic cooperation.
The Pew survey found 59 percent of U.S. adults were either "not too confident" or "not at all confident" that Trump could make wise decisions about the Russia-Ukraine war; 40 percent expressed at least some confidence. The poll interviewed 3,554 U.S. adults from August 4 to August 10, with a margin of error of 1.8 percent.
The survey also shows key partisan differences: a substantial majority of Democrats say that the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine, with 66 percent, compared to 35 percent of Republicans. This number is up from 23 percent in a March survey, however.
The public also expressed views on U.S. assistance: Pew found 29 percent said the U.S. was not providing enough support to Ukraine, and 18 percent said it was providing too much, while 50 percent of Americans said the U.S. had a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself, and 47 percent said it did not.
