More than 70 % of Russians expect good things from Donald Trump’s presidency, according to a new poll.
Approximately 40 % of those surveyed by state pollster VTsIOM had high expectations of the new U.S. president and another 31% believe that Trump would at least be an “average” U.S. leader. But when asked if Russia should reduce its nuclear stockpile in exchange for cancelled U.S. sanctions, as previously suggested by Trump, 55 % of those polled responded negatively, the Moscow Times reports.
Among Americans, Trump’s approval ratings have hit a record low, with 45% approving of Trump and 45% disapproving of him, according to Gallup.
Russians surveyed in the VTsIOM poll also displayed a significant amount of opposition to the possibility of extraditing former N.S.A. whistleblower Edward Snowden to the U.S.
Snowden fled the U.S. in 2014 after leaking classified documents. His Russian residency permit was recently extended to 2020.