Americans split on whether Russia is ‘enemy’ – poll

50% of respondents view the country as hostile, down from 61% in 2024, a survey by the Pew Research Center suggests

Americans are equally divided on whether Russia is an enemy of the US, with the percentage of those holding this view falling to the lowest point since 2022, according to a new Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday. The survey came out as the administration of US President Donald Trump engages in negotiations with Moscow to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

According to the poll, 50% of US adults view Russia as an enemy, down from 61% one year ago, and 64% and 70% in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Another 38% describe Russia as a competitor, while 9% consider it a partner.

The poll also indicated a pronounced partisan gap on the topic, with Democrats more likely to view Russia unfavorably. While 62% of Democrats say Russia is an enemy, only 40% of Republicans agree. Among Republicans, 45% say Russia is more of a competitor.

Still, the survey suggests that 85% of Americans see Russia very or somewhat unfavorably. Just 13% say they view the country favorably.

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US could ‘move on’ from Russia-Ukraine peace talks – Rubio

The poll encompassed 3,605 US adults between March 24 and March 30. It came on the heels of a phone call between President Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, which centered on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

While both sides have praised the peace process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that the talks over Ukraine are “difficult.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that Washington could withdraw from peace negotiations if no progress is made within the coming days.

READ MORE: US proposes leaving former Ukrainian territories under Russian control – Bloomberg

On Friday, Bloomberg reported that the US had presented its allies with a peace plan that would see the easing of sanctions against Russia, while eliminating Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO, one of Moscow’s key demands. Former Ukrainian territories that voted overwhelmingly to join Russia would reportedly remain under Moscow’s control.

Ukraine, however, has repeatedly rejected the idea of making any territorial concessions to Russia.