As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, foreign policymakers in Washington continue to prioritize the conflict, viewing it as a critical issue for the stability of Europe and the global order. Yet, for the average American voter, the war remains a distant concern, overshadowed by more immediate domestic challenges like inflation, immigration, and crime. This disconnect is evident in recent polling, which reveals a growing divergence between public sympathy for Ukraine and the actual importance voters assign to the conflict in the upcoming presidential election.

Despite the war’s fading prominence among voters, Americans have largely maintained their sympathy for Ukraine. A survey by the University of Maryland found that 62 percent of Americans sympathize more with Ukraine than with Russia, a sentiment shared across both major political parties. A majority of Democrats (76 percent) and Republicans (58 percent) express solidarity with Ukraine, underscoring the broad public disapproval of Russia’s invasion.

However, this sympathy does not necessarily translate into a consensus on US policy toward the war. While Americans continue to support Ukraine in principle, their views on the extent of US involvement vary significantly, particularly along partisan lines.

One of the key drivers of this divide is the difference in how Republicans and Democrats perceive the threat posed by Russia’s invasion. In a July 2024 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, only 33 percent of Americans said that the war in Ukraine constituted a “major threat” to US interests, a notable decline from earlier in the conflict. The poll revealed a clear partisan divide: 45........

© Blitz