As the war between Ukraine and Russia grinds into its fourth year, Americans' views on Russia and NATO differ greatly depending on party affiliation, according to a new Pew Research Center poll released Friday.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, over 70% of both Republicans and Democrats viewed Russia as an enemy of the United States. Three years later, only 40% of Republicans see Russia as an enemy, compared with 62% of Democrats polled.
And 45% of Republicans see Russia as a competitor, while only 30% of Democrats surveyed did. Neither Republicans nor Democrats see Russia as a partner, with 12% of Republicans and 6% of Democrats answering in the affirmative.
If Russia were to take over Ukraine, 25% of Republicans would be concerned, a massive drop from three years ago when over half of GOP voters were concerned when the war began. Conversely, Democrats' concern regarding a Ukrainian defeat and Russia takeover rose slightly, from 60% in 2022 to 62% in 2025.
One topic that Republicans and Democrats generally agree on Russian President Vladimir Putin: 91% of Democrats view Putin very or somewhat unfavorably, while 83% of Republicans view the Russian president very or somewhat unfavorably; 16% of Republicans and 9% of Democrats view Putin somewhat favorably.
When asked one's opinion on NATO and U.S. membership in it, 77% of Democrats polled have a favorable opinion of the alliance, while only 45% of Republicans view it favorably. When it comes to if the U.S. receives any benefit from being a member of NATO, 83% of Democrats feel the U.S. benefits from NATO membership, while only 49% of Republicans feel the same.
The Pew Research Center survey was conducted March 24-30 among 3.605 U.S. adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.