Survey: Many U.S. allies trust Putin over Trump

WASHINGTON» Vladimir Putin is more trusted than Donald Trump to do the right thing for the world among citizens of numerous U.S. allies, including Japan, South Korea and seven European NATO members, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Both leaders scored poorly overall in the poll by the respected Pew Research Center.

However, Trump’s scores in particular point to a stunningly high level of international public distrust in the American president, a position colloquially described as “leader of the free world” because many smaller countries rely on the United States for support and defense.

The United States is obligated to defend all NATO countries under the alliance’s treaty, which initially was aimed at the Soviet Union. The U.S. also is obliged to defend Japan and South Korea, which are threatened by North Korea, under separate defense treaties.

In Greece, Germany, Turkey, Hungary, France, Italy and Spain, more people had confidence in the Russian president than in his U.S. counterpart “to do the right thing regarding world affairs,” according to the poll.

That Trump is so distrusted by the populations of countries historically reliant on the United States for their defense points to the strains with U.S. allies caused by his often erratic international pronouncements.

These have included questioning the validity and effectiveness of NATO, delaying affirmation of the alliance’s

Putin outscores Trump in world poll

A Pew Research Center survey finds that in many countries, including key U.S. allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin is more trusted than President Donald Trump on global affairs. Australia Canada U.K. Netherlands S. Africa Jordan India Ghana Philippines Kenya Poland Nigeria Israel mutual defense pact, musing about more countries having nuclear weapons and, most recently, threatening “fire and fury” against North Korea if it persists in threatening the United States.

Not all NATO members’ citizens favored Putin.

Trump scored higher than Putin in Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and Poland, according to the survey, which Pew said was conducted in 37 countries this year.

Trump also led among non-NATO U.S. allies Australia and the Philippines, as well as in Israel, where he was far more trusted than Putin.

“Although confidence in Putin’s handling of foreign affairs is generally low, in many countries he is more trusted than American President Donald Trump,” the survey found.

Globally, 60 percent of the survey’s respondents said they lack confidence in Putin, with those from European nations most skeptical.