Most Brits say the West should avoid direct military involvement in Ukraine and Israel and funding for the conflicts should not be increased, a special poll by WeThink has revealed.

As tensions rise in the Middle East and as the U.S. House of Representatives approved a new £50bn aid package for Ukraine, the pollsters turned their attention to war to get British views on the conflicts. 

The new WeThink poll reveals: 

• Only a quarter of people think Ukraine and only 14% think Israel should receive more funding from the West 
• Three quarters think the West’s priority should be to support the defence of Ukraine 
• More than two thirds think the West needs to avoid direct military engagement in both Ukraine and Israel

LEVELS OF MILITARY SUPPORT

Do you agree or disagree with the current level of military support provided by the West to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia?

Do you agree with the current level of military support provided by Western countries to Israel in its conflicts in the Middle East?

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 

Which should be the West’s highest priority -defending Ukraine's airspace from Russian aggression or supporting Israel's defence against Iran missile attacks?

IMPACT ON DEFENCE CAPABILITIES 

Some conflict experts suggest supporting Ukraine risks weakening the defence capabilities of Israel. Do you or do you not believe this suggestion? 

• Don’t believe it 38%
• Believe it 14%
• No opinion / DK 48%

AVOIDING ENGAGEMENT 

Should Western countries avoid direct military engagement, (eg. deploying troops or flying combat missions), in conflicts involving Ukraine and Russia to prevent escalating into a wider European war?

EQUALITY OF ASSETS 

Would you support Western countries providing Ukraine with the Patriot air defence systems that have been provided to Israel as requested by President Zelensky to fully defend its airspace? 

• Yes 67%
• No 33%

EQUITY OF SUPPORT 

Do you believe the U.S. Congress should show equal support for Ukraine as it does for Israel, considering Ukraine's defence treaty with the U.S. and the UK (Ukraine was promised protection in return for surrendering its nuclear weapons in 1994)? 

• Yes 74%
• No 26% 

Western countries provide significant aid to Israel to help defend it. However, they don’t provide similar aid to Ukraine to help defend threats from Russia - even though Iran provides aid in terms of drones to Russia. Were you aware that Iran provided these drones to Russia? 

• Yes 37%
• No 63%

This poll was conducted on 18th-19th April , questioned 1,266 people and is weighted to a national representative population.

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