WASHINGTON (BP) – A majority of Republicans say the U.S. should give Ukraine long-range missiles capable of firing deep into Russia, a poll from the Ukraine Freedom Project found, with most viewing President Vladimir Putin as a threat to American security.
The Pentagon approved in October the distribution of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but U.S. President Donald Trump most recently said the U.S. didn’t have enough of the missiles stockpiled to give any to Ukraine. Tomahawks have a range of up to 1,500 miles.
But 63 percent of Republican primary voters support selling Ukraine Tomahawks, said Steven Moore, a Christian and founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project that has chronicled Russia’s persecution of Ukrainian Christians during the war.
“One of the goals of the Ukraine Freedom Project is to ensure that U.S. policymakers have accurate, up-to-date information – from both Ukraine and their own constituents – as they make key foreign policy decisions,” Moore said. “This polling advances that mission by showing how Republican and conservative voters view Russia’s war on Ukraine and how they want the U.S. to approach the war.”
In the poll of 600 Republicans primary voters conducted Oct. 7-13 by Public Opinion Strategies for the Ukraine Freedom Project, respondents saw supporting Ukraine in America’s best interest and expressed distrust and disparaging views of Putin, Moore told Baptist Press Oct. 31 upon releasing the poll’s findings.
“Americans of faith are powerful. When they know of Putin’s horrors against Christians and children, they come to recognize Putin is evil and he needs to be stopped,” Moore said. “We released A Faith Under Siege in May, telling American believers that Putin has shut down every church in occupied Ukraine not controlled by the Kremlin and has trafficked hundreds of thousands of kids out of Ukraine.
“Since May, we have seen an 18-point turnaround in support for military aid to Ukraine among religious conservatives and a 22-point swing among people who attend church weekly.”
Specifically, while 53 percent still oppose the U.S. approving new military funding for Ukraine, the portion is less than the 63 percent who opposed increased funding as recently as June, just four months earlier. Those who favor such funding increased to 47 percent from 39 percent in the four-month span.
The U.S. provided $66.9 billion in military assistance to Ukraine from Feb. 24, 2022 through mid-March of 2025, according to a March 12 report from the U.S. Bureau of Political Military Affairs.
The Ukraine Freedom Project, launched as a grassroots effort in early 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, today describes itself as a “full-scale nonprofit focused on exposing the truth about the war” while working to “counter Russian misinformation through powerful media, briefings on Capitol Hill and stories that cut through the noise.”
Poll respondents voiced distrust of Putin and support for Ukraine through several questions researchers asked.
- More than 90 percent of voters said they are concerned that Russia is sending drones into European countries, including Poland, Romania, Germany, Denmark and Norway, with 57 percent finding it “very concerning.”
- 38 percent voiced a favorable opinion and 35 percent voiced an unfavorable opinion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, compared to 9 percent who voiced a favorable opinion of Putin and 83 percent an unfavorable view.
- 76 percent voiced concern that Russia or China could attack the U.S. with drones.
- 83 percent said standing up to Putin is the only way to make him stop killing Ukrainian civilians, but others, 17 percent, said standing up to Putin would be foolish because “he has nuclear weapons and an unstable personality.”
- A majority of respondents, 64 percent, blame Putin for stalled peace talks, followed by 13 percent who blame Zelenskyy, 2 percent who blame Trump and 21 percent who blame all three men.
“The message from Republican voters is unmistakable: they want the U.S to stand up to Putin and arm Ukraine,” Moore concluded. “They blame Russia for the lack of a ceasefire and recognize Putin’s persecution of Christians. They understand the difference between good and evil, and they stand firmly with Ukraine.”
Ukraine Freedom Project’s documentary series “A Faith Under Siege,” featuring religious leaders who have endured Russian persecution, premiered in May and is streaming on the subscription platform Angel.com.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated to correctly state the range of Tomahawk missiles, up to 1,500 miles.)
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