Shawn Griffiths
The heated confrontation in the White House Friday between Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, continues to spur debate across the nation as voters are split on the US's support of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The meeting ended with no ceasefire plan or mineral deal, which administration officials promised would be signed and would give the US a stake in Ukraine's largely under-utilized natural resources, including rare-earth elements.
Some Republicans have staunchly backed the president's handling of the meeting. House Speaker Mike Johnson, for example, stated that the "days of America being taken advantage of and disrespected are OVER." While some Democrats, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have accused the administration of "doing Putin's dirty work."
Meanwhile, a CBS/YouGov poll taken ahead of the televised oval office meeting found that only 4% of Americans want to see Russia win the war. That said, 44% of respondents also said they do not support Ukraine either -- leaving a slim majority (52%) who said they personally support the invaded country.
How the administration's latest actions, including a freeze to Ukraine aid, impact public sentiment remains to be seen. However, Gallup also released new data that shows that where the American people stand on Ukraine is part of a larger trend on US foreign policy.
The latest data from Gallup found that Americans overwhelmingly support foreign policy initiatives that benefit the American people in some way, including 78% who support securing adequate energy supplies for the US and 67% who think it's very important to have favorable trade policies in foreign markets.
The percentage of Americans (while still a majority) who think defending our allies' security is very important has dropped from 66% in 2017 when Trump first took office to 59% in 2025. And the numbers continue to decline when respondents were asked about aid-related goals.
Notably, only 28% of Americans think it is "very important" to promote economic development initiatives in other countries and the reason this is so noteworthy is because many Americans are concerned about the state of their own economy and made it a mandate in the 2024 elections.
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Americans across the political spectrum support foreign policy initiatives if they see some kind of domestic benefit. If it is an agreement that helps keep energy prices down, they support it. If it is a policy that bolsters the US economy in foreign markets, they support it.
But a declining number of Americans are willing to say aid initiatives, whether it is defending allies, reducing poverty, promoting and defending human rights, or promoting economic development in other countries, are "very important" goals for US foreign policy.
This is where Ukraine comes back into the discussion. There are many Americans who believe the US should continue to support its ally. However, there is a sentiment on foreign aid that is commonly seen on social media and in comment sections across the Internet.
Specifically, there are many Americans who want to know why the US spends billions of dollars on countries like Ukraine and Israel when there are so many Americans struggling. They want to know why the US government seems more responsive to the needs of other countries and not its people.
This is a criticism of the US government that should be deeply explored because it goes beyond how much is being spent on foreign aid.
The Trump administration has stated that if the US continues to give money and resources to Ukraine then there should be some kind of quid pro quo arrangement (i.e. the mineral deal), but this doesn't address the main concern that voters have with their government.
It's not solely about Ukraine. It's mounting frustration among voters that no matter what party is in the majority, the federal government is getting less and less responsive to the interests and needs of the American people as everything becomes about partisan gamesmanship and self-serving policies.
The question that should be posed to voters is: If the US has the means to help its allies and help humanitarian efforts around the world, should people suffer just because the US government is unresponsive to its people? Or should voters demand more accountability from their elected officials?
Further, should voters demand a system of elections that incentives a government that is responsive to the needs of its people, rather than putting the parties' agendas first?
The amount the US has spent on aid to Ukraine -- military, financial, and humanitarian -- over the last 3 years accounts for 1.5% of the US federal budget. The amount the US spends on aid initiatives around the world accounts for only a fraction of the budget.
So, the issue is not how much is being spent -- but what the US government chooses to prioritize, which at the moment is not rising prices on consumer goods and increasing inflation, which polls show are the main concerns among voters right now.