In US, majority believe deploying troops to fight Russian military is 'bad idea': Poll

A majority of Americans believe that deploying troops to Ukraine to clash with Russian military is a terrible idea, according to a YouGov America poll. In the case of a so-called invasion, Americans want to support Ukraine with financial aid and economic sanctions on Russia, according to the poll. Poll respondents were asked if they felt a number of possible US reactions to Russia's invasion of Ukraine were a good idea, a poor idea, or if they were unsure.

According to Sputnik, Russia has not invaded Ukraine and has continuously denied Western intelligence warnings that an assault is coming. According to the data, over 55% of survey respondents feel sending troops to Ukraine to battle Russian soldiers is a poor idea, while only 13% believe it is a good idea. Another 50% of poll respondents said it would be a good idea to put economic penalties on Russia if it invaded Ukraine, while 20% thought it would be a poor idea.

Poll reveals large gap between Democrat's and Republican's reaction

Some 42% of those polled doubted whether allowing Ukraine into NATO was really a smart idea. The poll revealed a large gap between Democrat and Republican respondents on how to best react with a potential invasion of Ukraine. Republicans were more likely to reply negatively to survey questions about imposing economic sanctions on Russia, allowing Ukraine to join NATO, offering financial aid to Ukraine, sending troops to NATO allies in eastern Europe, sending weaponry to Ukraine, and sending soldiers to Ukraine to assist - but not combat - Russian military.

The biggest point of contention between the major parties was sending soldiers to NATO's eastern European allies. According to the study, 52% of Democrats thought sending troops to Eastern Europe was a good idea, while 15% thought it was a poor idea. Another 34% of Republicans believe it is a good idea, while 29% believe it is a poor idea.

According to the poll, sanctions against Russia and financial aid to Ukraine in the case of an invasion appear to be the two paths that may receive bipartisan support. The respondents were not given the option of providing a justification for their responses in the survey.

(With inputs from agencies)