Support The Moscow Times!

Anti-Americanism Wanes in Russia After Putin-Trump Summit, Survey Says

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the Helsinki summit/ Kremlin.ru

Russians increasingly view the United States in a positive light following a presidential summit last month, according to a survey published by the independent Levada pollster on Thursday.

Some 83 percent of respondents told Levada that they closely followed or heard about President Vladimir Putin’s first sit-down meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on July 16. The summit was largely seen as a success by Russian politicians and in state-run television coverage.

For the first time since 2014, the number of Russians who said they had “positive” feelings towards the United States (42 percent) outweighed those who reported “negative” feelings (40 percent).

“The population is tired of the policy of confrontation with the West, which has been going on for several years and has resulted in the decline of people’s incomes,” Levada said.

Citing a drop in the government's approval rating according to another survey in July, the pollster noted that a “sense of mass resentment” has grown from “the idea that the country’s leadership seeks to achieve its geopolitical goals at the expense of the population.”

Wartime spending and other defense expenditures become less justified, Levada argues, “while threats from the West are quickly beginning to be re-evaluated.”

Levada conducted the survey between July 19 and July 25 among 1,600 participants in 52 Russian regions.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more