Better Relations With U.S. Not Top Priority for Russians

Though U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not meet formally this week on the sidelines of the APEC summit, when they do meet, Russians would prefer Putin act firmly rather than try to improve relations. The majority of Russians (52%) say it is important for Russia to act firmly with the U.S., while 29% say it is important for Russia and the U.S. to have good relations. …

Even though news about Trump and Russia has made headlines from day one of his presidency, less than a year into his first term, he is still somewhat of an “unknown” in Russia. Nearly half of Russians (48%) do not know enough about Trump to rate the job he is doing as president of the U.S. However, those who do have an opinion are slightly more likely to disapprove (30%) than to approve (22%). CONT.

Julie Ray & Neli Esipova, Gallup