‘Failure of leadership’ American public ready to abandon Ukraine as trust in Biden plunges

Biden’s ‘lack of leadership’ on Ukraine analysed by Basham

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The findings in an exclusive poll by the Washington DC based Democracy Institute shows that the international efforts to back Ukraine President Zelensky and his country’s struggle with Putin’s Russia is in crisis. The floundering leadership of US President Joe Biden has been blamed for the results which show that a majority of Americans oppose measures to support Ukraine and hurt Russia.

According to the poll only about a third of Americans (six percent) support Biden’s Ukraine policy while 53 percent disapprove.

Half of Americans (50 percent) disapprove of his $40 billion aid budget to Ukraine with just 45 percent supporting it.

A mere five percent see Ukraine as a top priority compared to 26 percent on a shortage of baby formula food, 21 percent inflation and 16 percent economy and jobs.

It appears to be linked with a lack of confidence in the administration with Biden’s own approval rating being negative with 56 percent disapproving compared to only 39 percent approve.

There is a heavy contrast with Boris Johnson, who has been beleaguered over the Partygate scandal of lockdown drinking in Downing Street but internationally praised for his personal leadership on Ukraine.

The US polling gets worse for Biden with Americans’ views on his handling of foreign policy with 58 percent negative and a mere 37 percent positive.

The concerns over the cost of living crisis which is also hitting America as well as the UK, shows that 56 percent now believe sanctions against Russia hurt the USA more while just 42 percent think it harms Russia.

Crucially, in a major blow to President Zelensky, 45 percent would be “OK” with America allowing Ukraine to lose while 40 percent “not OK”.

Worryingly, 16 percent of those polled would like to see Putin in the White House as their President.

Meanwhile, almost half (48 percent) oppose Putin being removed from power compared to 42 percent who support the idea.

In fact more Americans believe that it would be better for them for Biden to be removed (56 percent) than Putin (43 percent).

Russia is also only seen as the fourth biggest international threat (14 percent) compared to China (45 percent), Iran (20 percent) and North Korea (17 percent).

In a video interview with Express.co.uk, Director of the Democracy Institute Patrick Basham blamed the US public turning on Ukraine on “a failure of leadership” by the Biden administration.

He also blamed the cost of living crisis and the effects of the war for making that worse, but added: “It is more the perceived lack of leadership.

“People out in the country are patriotic, they would like to punch Russia on the nose and would like to rally around the flag and the Commander in Chief.

“But they are so impacted economically, they know it is even worse now and they don’t see light at the end of the economic tunnel.

“So the lack of leadership, the fact that everything that has been predicted by Biden [defeat of Russia with sanctions] and his colleagues hasn’t happened.”

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He noted that other Presidents including Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton or Barack Obama would have been able to rally the country better to the Ukraine cause.

He said: “There just isn’t the ability for Biden himself or  [Vice President Kamala] Harris or any of the obvious secretaries of state to convincingly persuade the people in one direction or another.

“It has to be done for them or happen to them organically almost accidentally.

“When you have that obvious contrast with Reagan or Obama or Bill Clinton who in the moment could speak to the country and present an argument which, whether it was correct or not, could be very persuasive, gain traction and really resonate with ordinary people.

“Biden and Harris to this point are unable to do that.

“In fact, when they talk about the subject – Biden goes off script and starts talking about regime change, Harris gives everybody an infant school analysis of the geopolitical realities.

“So, people aren’t just getting the leadership from the top to persuade them it is worth hanging in there with Ukraine in this particular crisis.”

The crisis for Biden has forced him to write a piece in the New York Times in a bid to win public support for the war efforts.

In it he confirmed that the US will provide Ukraine with more advanced rocket systems and munitions “that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets” after initally suggesting he would not.

Mr Biden also tried to calm fears of boots on the ground by reassuring Americans that the US will not try to bring about the “ouster” of Vladimir Putin in Moscow, despite his comments in March which suggested that was the case.

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