(ANSA-AP) - MOSCOW - A new survey shows that Americans are
less willing than Europeans to send economic aid to Ukraine,
where the government is struggling to keep the economy afloat
while battling Russian-backed separatists. At the same time,
Americans would be more willing than Europeans to use military
force against Russia if it were to attack a neighboring country
that was a member of NATO, according to the survey released
early Wednesday by the Pew Research Center. While Ukraine is not
a NATO member, other former Soviet republics are and they worry
that the Western alliance would not defend them if it meant
military confrontation with Russia. The survey examined public
opinion in eight NATO countries: the United States, Britain,
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain. The interviews
were conducted in April and May among about 1,000 adults in each
country, with margins of error ranging from plus or minus 3.4 to
4.1 percentage points. Of the eight countries, only Italy was
less supportive of sending economic aid to Ukraine than the
U.S., where 62 percent of those surveyed were in favor. Support
was highest in Poland and Spain, at 77 percent. But when asked
whether NATO should send arms to Ukraine, the U.S. and Poland
were most in favor, at 46 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
Germany was at the bottom of the pack with only 19 percent
support. Americans and Germans were also at opposite ends on the
question of whether their country should use military force to
defend a NATO ally if it were attacked by Russia. In the U.S.,
56 percent surveyed said yes, while in Germany only 38 percent
said they would support military action. In Italy and Poland,
the interviews were conducted face-to-face; in the other six
countries they were done over the telephone, on land lines and
cell phones.
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