From News Nation:
“NewsNation poll: Americans
want Russia to pay a higher price for invasion”
American voters think Russia
hasn’t suffered nearly enough for its war in Ukraine, and an increasing number
are prepared to support a no-fly zone or using American troops despite terrible
risks, according to a new NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll released Thursday.
According to the NewsNation
poll: About 59% of Americans think the price Russia has paid for its
invasion is “too weak.” More than two-thirds of the country approves of
a no-fly zone over Ukraine. When the question mentions that a no-fly zone could
result in a war with Russia, support drops to a slender majority (52%). Most
Americans still oppose using American troops to defend Ukraine. But the number
who support it (42%) is up. Two weeks ago with a similar question, a
NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll found 35% supported using U.S. troops.
President Joe Biden is in
Brussels, where he is expected to announce new sanctions on Russia before
meeting with NATO to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. This latest NewsNation poll
also shows Americans still don’t approve of the job the president is doing. But
the mood of the country is its most hostile and aggressive yet against Russia,
backing new sanctions. “The American people are more open to continued
and probably increased support of Ukraine, and that can take the form of more
sanctions on Russia and that can take the form of more arms and aid,” said
Scott Tranter, an adviser for Decision Desk HQ. The NewsNation/Decision
Desk HQ survey was conducted between Monday and Tuesday. A total of 1,086
registered voters were interviewed and most poll questions had a margin of
error of about 3%.
BROAD SUPPORT FOR NO-FLY ZONE Most
Americans want the United States to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, even if
doing so would draw NATO into war. Nearly 70% of those surveyed somewhat
or strongly approve of the U.S. enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, compared
to about 30% who somewhat or strongly disapprove. Only 10% of respondents
strongly disapproved of the idea. Despite pleas from Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Joe Biden and NATO allies have not imposed a
no-fly zone over the country. That’s because enforcing a no-fly zone could
require NATO allies to shoot Russian planes out of the sky, which would lead to
a broader and possibly nuclear war with Russia. When presented with the
possibility that a no-fly zone would result in NATO entering the war against
Russia, the majority of Americans still supported the idea. Even with
its superior air force, Russia has not controlled Ukrainian airspace, leaving
experts to wonder whether a no-fly zone is even necessary. Others have
questioned the impact a no-fly zone would make, given Russia’s reliance on
long-range missiles. Ret. Gen. Phil Breedlove, former supreme allied
commander of NATO, has suggested a limited “humanitarian” no-fly zone, which
would not require NATO to fire at Russian aircraft unless they attack civilians
or NATO forces.
MAJORITY AGAINST SENDING U.S.
TROOPS Americans are still against sending U.S. troops to fight in Ukraine,
although support for doing so has increased in recent weeks. Nearly 42%
of those surveyed somewhat or strongly support deploying U.S. troops to the
conflict if economic sanctions do not stop Putin from taking further military
action. Over 58% of people are somewhat or strongly opposed to sending
troops. Earlier this month, a NewsNation poll found 35% of Americans
supported deploying troops to Ukraine, 7% less than the most recent polling.
However, the previous poll included a “not sure” option which accounted for 15%
of responses. That option was not included in the most recent poll. The
United States continues to send anti-aircraft systems and anti-tank weapons to
the Ukrainian army.
RUSSIA HAS NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH
Last month, Biden said that Russia will end up “paying the price” for its
invasion of Ukraine, but so far the majority of Americans don’t think Russia
has paid enough. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said Russia has paid “too
weak” a price compared to only 12% who thought the country has paid “too heavy”
a price. The U.S. and its allies have imposed sweeping economic
sanctions targeting everything from Russian banks to major exports like vodka
and seafood. However, experts say there is still plenty of headroom before
sanctions reach the levels imposed against Iran and North Korea. The
Biden administration has not ruled out additional sanctions in the face of
escalating Russian aggression, and NewsNation polling suggests he would be
supported in doing so. When asked whether the U.S. has done enough to
help Ukraine, 46% of respondents said it had, compared to 41% who said the U.S.
has done too little, a signal that Americans may want European allies to be the
ones to turn up the pressure on Russia. “We think more should be done
but we don’t necessarily think it should always be us,” said Tranter.
AMERICANS FEAR CHEMICAL ATTACK
Americans are almost universally concerned about the use of chemical
warfare in future conflicts. More than 90% of survey respondents said they were
somewhat or very concerned about chemical warfare. Less than 2% of people said
they were not at all concerned. Chemical weapons have received new
attention in recent weeks as experts fear Putin could resort to more ruthless
tactics if his military continues to struggle on the ground. Earlier
this month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserted,
without evidence, that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs
with U.S. support. White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Russia’s claim
“preposterous.” Also, a White House team is building its own plans in
case Russian President Vladimir Putin uses his stockpiles of chemical,
biological or nuclear weapons, according to The New York Times.
^ I am in with the Americans who
think the US, and the rest of the world, need to do more to help Ukraine and
punish Russia. ^
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