A majority of Americans believe former President Donald Trump is overly aligned with Russia, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released on March 13.
The survey found that 56% of respondents think Trump is “too closely aligned” with Moscow, while just 40% disagreed.
Only 4% of respondents abstained from answering, but the partisan divide was striking: nearly nine in ten Democrats agreed with the statement, compared to just 27% of Republicans.
The poll comes amid a sharp shift in U.S. foreign policy under Trump’s renewed leadership, as he adopts a more critical tone toward Ukraine and openly questions Kyiv’s role in the ongoing war.
Foreign Policy Shift Raises Eyebrows in West
Since returning to office, Trump has distanced Washington from its traditional role as Ukraine’s staunchest ally.
He has publicly rebuked President Volodymyr Zelensky, briefly paused military aid, and floated the idea that Ukraine shares responsibility for prolonging the conflict.
This policy shift have raised concerns among European partners, but in Russia, they’ve been met with optimism.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov praised the shift in an interview with state television on March 3, saying the new administration was “rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” and calling the development “largely aligned with our interests.”
U.S. Support for Ukraine—Now With Conditions
One of the most controversial elements of Trump’s current stance is his proposal to tie U.S. military aid to Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
The idea, which sparked a tense exchange between Trump, Zelensky, and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on February 28, would condition continued American support on Ukraine agreeing to a resource-sharing deal with the U.S.
Despite the backlash from Kyiv, the poll shows some domestic support for the plan.
A 44% plurality of Americans said they approve of conditioning military assistance on securing access to Ukrainian minerals—a sign that Trump's transactional approach to foreign policy still resonates with many voters.
Conducted online from March 11-12, the Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,422 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
