The public’s view of U.S. relations with Russia, at the center of a summit Monday with President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, are showing signs of hope, especially among Republicans, according to a pre-summit poll.
Gallup found that among Republicans, those who view Russia as a friend or ally has nearly doubled under Trump, rising from 22 percent to 40 percent.
Overall, the negative view of Russia since its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine has shifted a bit and now 31 percent see Moscow as an ally, up from 24 percent at the time of the Crimea invasion.
[Trump to Putin: ‘The world wants to see us get along’]
The results of the meeting are likely to impact U.S. support for better relations, again especially among Republicans. Said Gallup, “Should Trump’s meeting with Putin have a positive outcome, in the form of an agreement on Syria or another area of contention between the two powers, it is likely that attitudes among Republicans and Americans overall toward Russia will improve.”
But, added Gallup, the relationship is hopelessly tangled in partisanship with Democrats far more focused on the Russia probe into 2016 election meddling and unwilling to give it up.
Explained the pollster, “Even if the ongoing special counsel investigation exploring Russian interference in the 2016 election were to completely exonerate Trump and Russia, it is unlikely the president’s critics would improve their opinion of either. This ongoing controversy will likely limit the extent of any improvement in Americans’ perceptions of relations with Russia.”
[Also read: Robert Mueller indicts 12 Russian officers for election meddling, hacking into Clinton’s emails]
