The contentious meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy resulted in no clear winner, U.S. voters said in a new poll.
The new Emerson College poll found that 46% of U.S. voters think neither the United States nor Ukraine came away from the tense Oval Office meeting last week as a winner. Thirty-five percent said the U.S. was the winner of the meeting, 15% said Ukraine was and 4% said both countries were winners.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader for being “disrespectful” and for not saying “thank you” during their meeting on Friday. The shocking behavior from the U.S. leaders sparked backlash across the world, with many critics saying it was “embarrassing.”
Trump repeatedly vowed during his campaign that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours once he was sworn into office. In recent weeks, he has suggested working out a deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin—who he praised as a “genius” for invading Ukraine about three years ago—to end the war without the input of Zelenskyy.
And just days after the heated meeting, Trump ordered a “pause” to U.S. assistance to Ukraine to pressure the country into agreeing to peace talks with Russia.
The poll found 44% of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war, while 41% approve and 15% are neutral.
“Perception of Trump’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war reveals a stark partisan divide: 73% of Republicans approve of the President’s handling of the war, while 76% of Democrats disapprove,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a press release. “Independents are more divided, with 46% disapproving and 35% approving.”
When asked about the potential outcome of the war, 55% said it was likely that Ukraine will give up some land to Russia but stay an independent country, 29% said it will keep its borders and remain an independent country and 17% said Ukraine will become a part of Russia.
The poll also found that 55% of voters think it is very likely or somewhat likely that a world war breaks out in the next four years under Trump’s term. Forty-five percent said it is very unlikely or not likely at all.
The poll was conducted March 2-3 among 1,000 registered voters. It has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Stories by Lauren Sforza
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