Americans have little taste for war in Ukraine, poll finds | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is CJ Staff.

    Americans have little appetite for a potential war with Russia, a recent poll by Rasmussen Reports finds.

    The new national telephone and online survey, released Wednesday, Jan. 26, finds that only 31% of likely American voters think that, if Russia attacks Ukraine, U.S. combat troops should be sent to help, Rasmussen says. Of the respondents, 36% are against sending American troops to Ukraine, and 33% are undecided.

    Rasmussen polled 1,000 likely voters on Jan. 24 and 25. The margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points.

    According to a story by Newsmax, Rasmussen also asked voters to rate President Biden's handling of the situation between Ukraine and Russia. Of the respondents, 62% rated Biden's handling of the situation as fair to poor; 30% called it good to excellent.

    The Pentagon, The Associated Press reports, said Monday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has put up to 8,500 troops on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure NATO allies in the face of ongoing Russian aggression on the border of Ukraine. The AP says that Fort Bragg officials declined to confirm if troops there are on standby. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said no final decisions have been and the order is about ensuring that the U.S. is ready to respond if NATO decides to deploy its response force, the AP says.

    Fort Bragg, in Fayetteville, is home to the 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps. It's also the headquarters of the U.S. Army Forces Command.

    On Thursday, Rasmussen's latest Presidential Tracking Poll shows that 42% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of Biden's job performance. Fifty-seven percent (57%) disapprove. The latest figures include 20% who Strongly Approve of the job Biden is doing and 48% who Strongly Disapprove, Rasmussen says.

    Diplomatic discussions over Russia's military buildup at the Ukrainian border stalled this week after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken provided a handwritten response to Russian demands. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday, Jan. 27, that the response offered "little ground for optimism" but acknowledged "prospects for continuing dialogue," Fox News reports.