The intrusion of Ukraine joins a partitioned America

Statement by Patricia Zurita

“We have all been shocked to the core and angered by the brutal invasion of free Ukraine by the Russian state.  Our thoughts are with all caught up in the conflict in Ukraine including those who work for and with our partner the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds. As a global organization, we have been grappling with this and other threats we and our partners face as we battle to save nature. As Ariel Brunner, who is Senior Head of Policy for our European & Central Asian division writes so beautifully below,  to have any chance of tackling the nature and climate emergency we need peaceful cooperation that thrives on diversity, the rule of law, a healthy civil society, and a free press.  All of this is at stake.  This is why we #StandWithUkraine and demand the Russian leader #StoptheWar”. 

By the standards of today’s polarized politics, the unity members of Congress displayed in Ukraine at President Biden’s State of the Union address was extraordinary. The hall was dotted with the blue and gold colors of the Ukrainian flag, and the introduction of Ukraine’s ambassador evoked a prolonged and passionate ovation.

But was this show of unity just a passing response to the emotions of the moment?

The answer seems to be no. To an extent rarely seen these days, the American people are united across lines of partisanship, ideology, race, and ethnicity—indeed, across every demographic marker—on the nature of the threat, who is responsible for the war, and how to respond to it.

Polling conducted right before Biden’s speech showed that the people are paying attention, with 65% saying they’ve heard a lot about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. About 8 in 10 Democrats and Republicans sympathize more with Ukraine than Russia, and three quarters say they care who wins the war. Huge majorities of both Democrats and Republicans believe that Russia wants to reestablish the border of the Soviet Union and that Ukraine wishes to remain independent.

Americans are in no mood to end the war by rewarding Russian aggression. Across party lines, they oppose promising Russia that Ukraine will never join NATO, they oppose allowing Russia more influence in former Soviet countries, and they oppose pulling back NATO troop deployments in Eastern Europe.

Many political commentators have wondered whether former President Trump’s evident sympathy for Vladimir Putin fundamentally altered the views of the Republican Party about Russia. Aside from Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, who celebrate Russia’s dictator because he’s “anti-woke,” the answer is no. For the first time in a long while, Americans on both sides of the aisle find themselves agreeing on something important.

These opinions are not set in stone, especially in an election year. For example, Republicans’ support for sanctions falls—more than Democrats’ support does—if sanctions lead to an increase in fuel prices. Still, the degree of agreement on the fundamentals of the invasion is remarkable and seems likely to persist.

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