Support among President Donald Trump’s voters for sending US weapons to Ukraine has grown significantly since the start of the year, according to a new poll.
The survey, by Echelon Insights and conducted from July 14-17, found that 49% of Trump voters now support continuing to give weapons to Ukraine – up from just 36% in a January poll, shortly after Trump returned to the White House.
That number jumped even higher in July’s questionnaire when respondents were told the decision to arm Ukraine was Trump’s initiative. When phrased as Trump’s idea, support among Trump voters surged to 65%, almost triple the 22% opposed, according to Newsweek.
The results come as Trump continues to pivot on his Ukraine policy. While initially hostile towards maintaining US military support at its previous levels, Trump recently said he would greenlight new Patriot air defense systems for Kyiv and threatened to impose severe sanctions on Russia within 50 days if Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not agree to peace terms – a shift that appears to be influencing his supporters’ views.
But not everyone believes the renewed pressure on the Kremlin will amount to a change in policy, or the war in Ukraine.
“At the present moment, Trump’s approach to aiding Ukraine has not really materialized since most of it is just promises and statements,” Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of the nonprofit Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek.
He warned that Trump’s deadline is too long, given intelligence reports suggesting that Putin may launch a new offensive in the coming months.
“Putin has announced that he plans a major offensive in Ukraine over the next 60 days, so both the US and Western countries need to act quickly by supplying more military equipment and imposing crippling sanctions against Russia,” he said.
While Trump insists that NATO allies should foot the bill for most of Ukraine’s weapons, he has indicated that some systems could be delivered “within days.” But European and US officials cited by Reuters said the plan remains vague and was presented without much prior coordination.
Still, the shift in public opinion among Trump voters could help solidify bipartisan support for continued US military aid – especially as Ukraine braces for a long and punishing summer on the battlefield.