81% of US voters say Putin should not be trusted: Survey

ISTANBUL

A large majority of US voters say that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be trusted.

A total of 81% of US voters do not see the longtime Russian leader as trustworthy, said a Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday, based on a nationwide survey of 1,039 registered voters.

Large majorities of both sides of the political aisle view Putin with suspicion, but with a large gap: 93% of Democratic voters believe the US should not trust Putin, while 73% of Republican voters agree.

Just 9% of the respondents said that Putin could be trusted, while 10% did not give an opinion.

The poll comes about a month after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House after four years out of power. During his first term, in 2017-2021, Trump was seen as broadly pro-Russian, and his recent drive for closer ties with Moscow points to his second term continuing this trend.

In the survey, 40% of participants expressed approval of Trump's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, while 44% disapproved and 16% did not give an opinion.

The poll was done before Trump’s remarks this week seemingly blaming Ukraine for the outbreak of the war. For years, however, Trump has been pushing for a quick end to the war, and even pledged to end it just after taking office.

Some analysts have voiced worries that ending the war too quickly would effectively reward Russia with territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine, which Russian forces largely control.