A majority of Americans (53%) support sending weapons and military aid to Ukraine, according to a new CBS News poll conducted with the market research firm, YouGov. But support has a lot to do with age, memories about the Cold War and, of course, political affiliation.

What You Need To Know

  • 53% of Americans support sending weapons and military aid to Ukraine, according to a new CBS News YouGov poll

  • Support for sending aid is strongest among Democrats and Independents

  • A majority of Republicans do not support sending support

  • Regardless of political party, voters aged 50 and older were more likely to see Russia as an enemy

Sending more aid to Ukraine is strongest among Democrats (74%) and independent voters (50%).

A majority of Republicans (61%) say the U.S. should not send weapons or military aid. Republicans who support presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump were even less inclined, with 69% saying the U.S. should not send support.

The poll found that Republicans trust Trump more than any other source for information about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, 26 months after the war began. Trump is the most trusted source among 79% of Republicans polled, followed by the Pentagon (60%), conservative media (56%), journalists reporting in the war zone (33%) and the U.S. State Department (27%).

Democrats who trust President Biden are more trusting of the Pentagon, as well as the State Department and war zone journalists, according to the poll, conducted among 2,399 U.S. adults interviewed April 9-12.

Republicans are less likely to see Russia as an enemy (29%) compared with Democrats (47%) and Independents (36%). While 25% of Democrats and Independents said Russia is an ally, 31% of Republicans considered the former Soviet Union to be friendly.

Regardless of party, voters aged 50 and older were more likely to view Russia as an enemy (44%) compared with voters aged 18 to 49 (29%). Younger voters were also more inclined to see Russia as an ally (36%) compared with those over 50 (20%).

A majority of respondents (62%) who thought the U.S. won the decades-long Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union said the U.S. should aid Ukraine. Those who either didn’t know or didn’t recall who won the Cold War that lasted from 1947 through 1989, when the Soviet Union collapsed, were evenly divided between supporting and not supporting Ukraine.

Respondents who think aid to Ukraine will stop Russian military action in Europe are more likely to support it (81%) compared with 35% who support aid even though they do not believe it will deter Russia.

Almost three quarters (72%) of those who support sending aid think it’s a U.S. responsibility to promote democracy.

The poll came out Sunday, the same day House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would try to win House approval for a national security package that includes funding for Ukraine. In February, the Senate passed a $95 billion national security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but Johnson rejected it.