US Vice President JD Vance wrote in his new book that Russian President Vladimir Putin has broad support in his country. According to Vance, independent and objective measurement attempts show that Putin has high popularity among ordinary Russians.
In his book "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith", Vance stated that this assessment was confirmed by "every independent and objective measurement." The statements in the book have reignited debates about Putin's domestic support in Russia.
Criticism of the West's approach
Vance also wrote that the West persistently refuses to accept the fact that Putin is genuinely popular. In his view, the West prefers to believe in comfortable lies rather than facing the inconvenient truth.
In this context, Vance cited Munich as an example, recalling a moment during the 2024 Munich Security Conference when he mentioned Putin's popularity. In his book, he described this environment as "a marketplace for trading convenient lies" and argued that it complicates sensible decision-making.
VCIOM data reflected in the book
A VCIOM poll released at the beginning of June indicated that 72.3 percent of respondents in Russia trust Putin, while 66.6 percent approve of his work. Vance's assessments in the book, when considered alongside this data, made the debate about Putin's level of domestic support more visible.
These statements in the book also drew attention to US-Russia relations and the West's view of the Russian leader. Vance's remarks brought renewed focus to the ongoing evaluations across different political circles regarding Putin's standing in Russian public opinion.
