A new Gallup survey shows that Americans' low opinion of Russia has dropped even further over the past year, reaching the lowest level since the Soviet Union collapsed.
Spurred on by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the Americans' approval of Russia currently stands at 9%.
That's compared to 15% last year, and 34% in 2014 before Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea.
Additionally, 90% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Russia in 2023, with a 59% majority saying they hold a "very unfavorable" view.
These numbers put Russia ahead of only Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as the least-favored countries with Americans.
"The endgame of the conflict is unclear, and diplomatic efforts have so far been unproductive. As long as the war persists, it is unlikely Americans' opinions of Russia will improve," wrote Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones.
Meanwhile, over two-thirds of Americans, 68%, said that they viewed Ukraine favorably. Another 31% had an unfavorable view, with just 2% issuing no opinion.
The numbers serve as a substantial improvement for Ukraine since 2020, when 57% reported a favorable view — compared to 40% who did not.
Around that time, Ukraine was in the news primarily due to allegations surrounding Hunter Biden and Burisma.
A new height was also reached among Americans who view the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a "critical" threat to the United States, at 56%.
That compares to 36% who said it was an "important" threat, and 8% who believe it is not.
The highly variable American opinion on Russia's military strength has taken a nosedive since 2022, when 59% said it was a "critical" threat to the U.S., compared to 51% in 2023.
Americans' opinion on the Kremlin's capabilities likely reflects the underwhelming performance of Russia on the battlefield and the current stalemate of Russia-Ukraine war, which launched more than a year ago (Feb. 24, 2022).
The poll of 1,008 U.S. adults, conducted via telephone interviews, covered a 23-day period (Feb. 1-23).
The margin-of-error rate was 4 percentage points, and the confidence level of the survey reached 95%.
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