U.S. voters, by a 2-to-1 margin, say Ukraine should not accept a peace deal with Russia unless all Russian troops are withdrawn from Ukrainian territory, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national survey finds that 58% of likely U.S. voters say Kyiv should reject any agreement that leaves Russian forces on Ukrainian land, while 29% say ending the war now matters more even if Ukraine must concede some territory. Another 13% were unsure.
The polling lands as diplomatic maneuvering intensifies and Americans continue to debate how much Washington should be involved in a grinding conflict that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European leaders in London this week to discuss negotiations aimed at ending the war.
The Rasmussen survey also points to growing skepticism about Europe's role.
Nearly half of voters (48%) said America's European allies have not done enough to help Ukraine, compared with 27% who said Europe has provided enough support, Rasmussen found.
On U.S. assistance, voters were almost evenly split: 40% said America has done enough, 41% said the U.S. has not helped enough, and 19% were not sure.
Partisan divisions remain sharp, underscoring why calls for an "endless war" approach collide with demands for a deal that doesn't reward aggression.
Rasmussen found 59% of Republicans say the U.S. has done enough to help Ukraine, while only 25% of Democrats agree.
Yet on the core question of territory, majorities across party lines said Ukraine should not accept a deal without full Russian withdrawal, including 47% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats.
Those views clash with signals coming out of Moscow.
A senior Kremlin official said Russian police and the National Guard would remain in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region even after a peace settlement — an arrangement likely to be rejected by Kyiv and many Western supporters because it effectively cements Russian control.
Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said any ceasefire would come only after Ukraine withdraws from the front line in Donbas, and suggested Russia would use internal security forces to hold territory.
For many U.S. voters, the message is straightforward: Peace is desirable, but not at the price of legitimizing a land grab, and not while Europe, in their view, continues to lean too heavily on American taxpayers and leadership.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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