Outraged Americans overwhelmingly support a US ban on Russian oil imports following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and would support military intervention if Russia attacks a neighboring NATO country, a new poll released Monday showed.
Nearly three-quarters of adults (71 percent) said they would support a ban on Russian oil and other energy products, even if it would raise gas station prices, a Quinnipiac University poll found.
Only 22 percent of the respondents said they were against it, the rest had no opinion.
“Americans are ready to stifle Russia’s key financial lifeblood, oil, no matter what the consequences are at the gas station,” Quinnipiac analyst Tim Malloy said.
Meanwhile, 79 percent of adults said they would support a military response if Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his offensive beyond Ukraine and attacked a neighboring North Atlantic Treaty Organization country.
Map of Russian attacks on Ukraine as of Monday, March 7, 2022.
A Quinnipiac University poll showed that 71% of Americans support a ban on Russian oil imports. OLI SCARF
79 percent of respondents support a military response if Russia attacks a NATO country. Paulus Peletskis
NATO countries in Eastern Europe include Poland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, all of which fell under Moscow’s sphere of influence during the Cold War.
Most Americans also want President Biden to do more to deter Russian aggression, with 56 percent of respondents saying the steps taken by the White House so far are not tough enough. On the contrary, just 30% say they are almost right and just 3% say they are too tough, while the rest are undecided.
Overall, Americans are divided on how Biden handled the invasion, with 42 percent approving of his response and 45 percent disapproving. The president’s overall approval rate in the Quinnipiac poll was 38 percent, with 51 percent disapproving and 11 percent refusing to answer.
Get the latest updates in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict live on The Post.
Elsewhere, 60 percent of Americans say Putin is mentally unstable, and the same number say he will use nuclear weapons against a NATO country. A whopping 86 percent of Americans said they believe the Russian people have no say in their government’s actions, while only 11 percent believe they do.
Half of Americans compared Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to the Nazi annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia before World War II. About a third – 31 percent – of respondents said the comparison to Hitler was too strong, while the remaining 18 percent did not express their opinion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has become a household name in America for his courage in confronting Russia. The survey showed that 64 percent of respondents speak positively about him.
56 percent of respondents said that President Joe Biden’s response to Russia was not tough enough. EVELYN HOKSHTEIN
60 percent of respondents consider Russian President Vladimir Putin mentally unbalanced. SATELLITE
80 percent of respondents support the admission of Ukrainian military refugees to the United States. NEIL HALL
Nearly 80 percent of Americans supported the admission of Ukrainian refugees to the United States, with only 15 percent opposed.
The survey, conducted from 4 to 6 March, was attended by 1371 adults. It has an error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.