More Americans back continued US support for Ukraine despite politics, poll shows
Ukraine makes gains in war against Russia
In the last week, Ukrainian soldiers stormed Russian territory from the western boarder, seemingly taking Russian forces by surprise. It was the biggest invasion of Russia since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his country’s troops had taken full control of Sudzha. It is the largest Russian town to fall since the invasion. Hal Kempfer, national security expert, joins LiveNOW from FOX.
More Americans would like the U.S. to continue supporting Ukraine in the country's fight against Russia, according to a recent poll.
The poll, conducted by the University of Maryland, showed that most Americans (62%) had more sympathy with Ukraine than Russia, including 58% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats.
In addition, the number of Americans wanting U.S. to continue its support for Ukraine grew from October 2023. The poll revealed that currently, 48% of all participants said that the U.S. should support Ukraine as long as the conflict lasts, including 37% of Republicans and 63% of Democrats.
However, funding Ukraine's military effort seems to be politically divided with more Republicans saying the level of funding is "too much" (52%) compared to more Democrats saying it’s about "the right level" (39%).
Ukraine takes control of Russian town
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday his country's troops had taken full of Sudzha. Sudzha is the largest Russian town to fall to Ukraine's forces since the start of their cross-border incursion. Brian Taylor with Syracuse University joined LiveNOW from FOX to break down the details.
"Before the recent advance of Ukrainian forces into Russian territory, the American public was growing less confident about Ukraine’s prospects in the war," poll researchers concluded. "Surprisingly, this has not undermined overall public support for Ukraine, especially the expressed commitment to stay the course for as long as it takes, which increased since last October."
The latest in the Russia-Ukraine war
Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones across Ukraine for a second day on Tuesday, including some that Ukraine’s president said were shot down by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets before they reached their targets.
The onslaught killed at least five people, destroying a hotel, homes and residential buildings as well as critical infrastructure in multiple Ukrainian regions.
A man honors the memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine kneeling at the Russian-Ukrainian war memorial on Maidan Nezalezhnosti on the 33rd anniversary of the independence of Ukraine on August 24, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Yan Dobronosov/Glo
President Joe Biden called Monday's Russian attack on energy infrastructure "outrageous" and said he had "reprioritized U.S. air defense exports so they are sent to Ukraine first." He also said the U.S. was "surging energy equipment to Ukraine to repair its systems and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy grid."
The latest on funding Ukraine in its war against Russia
According to the Government Accountability Office, U.S. agencies had obligated about $101 billion and disbursed about $68 billion. About $12 billion remained available for use.
Last April, President Joe Biden signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that included assistance for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots.
The announcement marked an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress over urgently needed assistance for Ukraine, with Biden promising that U.S. weapons shipment would begin making the way into Ukraine "in the next few hours."
Biden immediately approved sending Ukraine $1 billion in military assistance, the first installment from about $61 billion allocated for Ukraine. The package includes air defense capabilities, artillery rounds, armored vehicles and other weapons to shore up Ukrainian forces who have seen morale sink as Russian President Vladimir Putin has racked up win after win.
What has Harris, Trump said about supporting Ukraine
Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged America’s full support in backing Ukraine and global efforts to achieve "a just and lasting peace" in the face of Russia’s invasion.
Russia’s aggression is more than just an attack "on the lives and the freedom of the people of Ukraine," Harris told leaders from 100 nations and global organizations during a summit in June.
Former President Donald Trump has made public comments that varied between criticizing U.S. backing for Ukraine’s defense and supporting it, while his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has been a leader of Republican efforts to block what have been billions in U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.
Ukraine receives F-16 fighters amid war with Russia
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy displayed Ukraine's newly-arrived F-16 fighter jets on Sunday, saying the planes will boost the country's war efforts against Russia. Zelenskyy says Ukraine is trying to get neighboring countries to help defend it against Russian missiles. National security expert Hal Kempfer joins LiveNOW from FOX.
Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have spoken previously on the phone.
Trump said on his social media platform that he appreciated Zelenskyy’s outreach and promised to "end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families."
On NATO, he has assailed member nations for years for failing to hit agreed-upon military spending targets. Trump drew alarms this year when he said that, as president, he had warned leaders that he would not only refuse to defend nations that don’t hit those targets, but "would encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to countries that are "delinquent."
History of the Russia-Ukraine war
The war in Ukraine that began in February 2022 has killed thousands, forced millions to flee their homes, reduced entire cities to rubble and has fueled fears the confrontation could slide into an open conflict between Russia and NATO.
Ukraine hits third bridge in Russia’s Kursk
Moscow has announced Ukraine has struck and destroyed a third bridge in the Kursk region as Kyiv forces to expand within Russian territory. James Talberg, junior political analyst working with the Ukrainian Institute of Politics, joined LiveNOW from FOX to help detail the latest.
On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south. He said the "special military operation" is aimed at "demilitarization" and "denazification" of the country to protect ethnic Russians, prevent Kyiv’s NATO membership and to keep it in Russia’s "sphere of influence."
The Ukrainian military fought back on multiple fronts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that Ukraine will defend itself and ordered a full military mobilization.