8 In 10 Say Putin Should Not Be Trusted: Survey

The vast majority of American voters think the U.S. should not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new poll, as the Trump administration attempts to broker a peace deal to end the deadly years-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday found 81 percent of respondents said Putin should not be trusted, including 73 percent of Republicans surveyed and 93 percent of Democrats.

Just 9 percent of the voters surveyed said Putin, a former KGB officer who has been in power in Russia for decades, should be trusted.

Trump has spoken directly with Putin about the peace effort, phoning him before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — a move seen as a sign that the White House favors Russia, despite the country's unprovoked invasion of its neighbor three years ago. Trump said he views Putin as being amenable to resolution and isn't worried that the Russian leader will continue to seek additional territory or try to harm NATO.

“I think he wants to stop fighting. I see that. We spoke long and hard," he told reporters Sunday. “I think he wants to stop. That was my question to him. Because if he’s going to go on, that would have been a big problem for us, and that would have caused me a big problem, because you just can’t let that happen."

In a recent interview with NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Zelensky said he advised Trump against trusting Putin and called the Russian leader “a liar.”

Former President Biden maintained an icy relationship with Putin, with both openly taunting each other.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane said in a Fox News interview over the weekend that he does not think Putin will ever give up efforts to topple Ukraine, even if he accepts a peace agreement negotiated by the Trump administration. Keane added that "everything is on the line" for Putin at this stage of the conflict

"Here we are going into a third year,” he said. “The reality is, his presidency is at stake. And I think also his personal life is at stake if all of this blows up on him.”

The Quinnipiac poll's respondents had mixed views over how Trump is handling the Russia-Ukraine war overall, with 40 percent approving, 44 percent disapproving and 16 percent voicing no opinion.

Some Republican officials have voiced concerns over the Trump administration's efforts to end the ongoing conflict with a deal that is friendlier to Russia.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who is strongly aligned with Kyiv, told reporters she is concerned about Ukraine’s fate.

“This was an unprovoked, unjustified invasion. I appreciate that the president is trying to achieve peace, but we have to make sure that Ukraine does not get the short end of a deal,” she said.

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to escalate his criticism of Zelensky and has appeared to suggest that Ukraine started the war.

“I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died," he wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

Quinnipiac's poll, conducted Feb. 13-17, included responses from 1,039 self-identified registered voters. The margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.