Unity on Ukraine: US Voters Show Rare Bipartisan Accord on Arming Kyiv, Sanctioning Russia

WASHINGTON, DC, October 13 ------ US registered voters overwhelmingly back the continued provision of weaponry to Ukraine and the imposition of further economic sanctions on Russia, demonstrating a rare and solid bipartisan consensus on a major foreign policy matter, according to a new survey from The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll.

The poll, conducted October 1-2, 2025, found that 68 percent of voters support the United States continuing to supply Kyiv and penalizing Moscow if Russia “refuses to negotiate and prolongs the bloodshed.” Only 32 percent of respondents said the US should halt support “for fear of antagonizing” Russia.

Bipartisan strength underlines resilience

The findings underscore deep, cross-party agreement on checking Russian aggression, a significant measure of stability for Ukraine’s allies in the United States citizenry, as the Russian war against Ukraine drags on. The support for continuing aid and sanctions is nearly identical among the two major US political parties, a sign of its political resilience, with 73 percent of Republicans backing the continued provision of weaponry to Ukraine and the imposition of further sanctions on Russia. Similarly, 72 percent of Democrats support the same actions. Even among Independents, 60 percent support the continued use of sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

Economic pressure backed by a US population majority

Beyond direct aid, a majority of voters also support using tariffs to punish governments that continue to prop up Russia’s war machine through energy purchases. A 55 percent majority of all voters support punishing governments that buy oil and gas from Russia with tariffs, while 45 percent oppose such punitive measures. This support is primarily driven by Democrats, 66 percent of whom back punishing Russian oil and gas buyers. Republicans, however, are closely split, with 51 percent supporting tariffs and 49 percent opposing them.

The survey also noted that most voters prefer Europe to stop buying oil from Russia and purchase it from the US instead, if feasible, aligning American public opinion with policies aimed at drying up Moscow’s energy revenues.

Timing and significance amid Kremlin escalation

The timing of this Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, fielded at the start of October 2025, is highly significant. It lands amid a critical phase of the conflict, defined by what some analysts characterize as a war of attrition and intensified deep strikes against civilian infrastructure as winter approaches. In the days surrounding the poll’s release, Moscow launched several major aerial assaults on Ukraine’s energy grid, with the latest strikes just hours before the survey’s official release.

Meanwhile, Kyiv has continued to erode the petrostate’s revenue source, cut the Kremlin war machine’s fuel supply, and reveal Moscow’s inability to defend its motherland with sustained drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. This firm, bipartisan voter support for continuing aid and sanctions – with 68 percent overall backing – provides a crucial mandate for the administration as it navigates these escalatory developments. Specifically, the poll results offer political cover on increasingly contentious issues.

As the Trump administration reportedly weighs sending long-range weaponry, such as Tomahawk missiles, to Kyiv – a move Moscow has warned would mark another “qualitatively new stage of escalation,” as it has done regarding allies supplying tanks, F-16 and Mirage 2000 warplanes, and every other incremental increase in military aid to Kyiv – the overwhelming public support for “continuing to provide weaponry” signals broad domestic backing for taking calculated risks to prevent a Russian victory in the war. The survey confirms that, even three and a half years into the conflict, the US electorate prioritizes checking Russian aggression over avoiding “antagonizing” Moscow.

Source: kyivpost.com