Britons give their verdict on who they are backing over Trump and Zelensky row

British voters have given their verdict on whom they think has done the best job of handling the crisis – and it is not .

The US President made headlines when he branded Volodymr Zelensky a “dictator”.

But new polling reveals Britons think the Ukrainian leader has risen to the challenge more successfully than the outspoken Republican.

Three out of five told pollsters Ipsos Mr Zelensky had done “a good job handling the Russian invasion of ”.

Fewer than one in five (19%) said the same for Mr Trump.

Just 12% thought Mr Zelensky had done a bad job but 38% said this of Mr Trump.

Half of Britons said the arrival of the new president in the White House made them more concerned about the situation in .

Around one in three thought the UK governments led by Sir and have provided good leadership in the crisis.

Support for Britain’s role in the conflict remains strong but has declined from 68% in February 2023 to 53%.

Fifty-two percent said the UK has provided “about the right amount” of support to – with 18% saying it has given too much and 14% too little.

Half of Britons (53%) said economic sanctions on are necessary, even it if means energy and food prices remain higher.

When asked how they think the war will end, 26% think and will end up keeping whatever territories they hold at the end of the war.

Just 13% think will regain the land seized in the 2014 invasion, which includes Crimea. Six percent expect the “complete annexation of by ” – and 15% do not expect the war to end.

Britons are concerned about the impact of the conflict on Ukrainian civilians (77%); the UK economy (71%); and UK national safety and security (67%). Only 41% said they concerned about the impact on themselves.

Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said: “Our latest poll, taken just before the third anniversary of the invasion of , shows the British public remain concerned about the war and its implications both at home and abroad. While support for the UK’s backing of remains in the majority, the election of appears to have complicated the picture, with many Britons anxious about its impact on the situation.

“As US policy towards the conflict shifts with the arrival of the new administration and European nations discussing increasing defence spending, the conflict is likely to change considerably in the coming weeks and months. Even now, while the public remains supportive of , there is no consensus over how the war is likely to end.”