The majority of Americans see Russia as a serious threat to the U.S. and about half think another Cold War could break out as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a poll released Friday found.
The CNN/ORC International poll reported that 69 percent of Americans see Russia as a serious threat to the U.S. — up 25 percent from 2012 and the highest in a decade.
Nearly half of respondents are worried that the U.S. could enter into another Cold War, with about 40 percent saying they are afraid about the possibility of a nuclear war.
Much higher numbers condemn Russia’s actions in invading Crimea, a peninsula in Ukraine currently occupied by Russian troops. Despite the fact that some residents in Crimea welcome the Russians and are expected to vote Sunday on whether to become part of Russia, eight in 10 Americans say Russia has violated international law.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also very unpopular among Americans, with 68 percent saying they have a negative opinion of him, up 14 points from early February when his country hosted the Olympic Games in Sochi.
The poll results come from telephone interviews with more than 800 adults across the country between Friday and Sunday. The margin of error is 3.5 percent.
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• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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