Tensions at the Ukraine-Russia border have risen dramatically in the last few days. Friday saw reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin had allegedly decided to invade Ukraine. The same day, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of 3,000 combat troops to Poland to join the several thousand American soldiers already gathering in nearby NATO nations. The U.S. State Department has told nonemergency employees of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave due to the "potential for significant military action."

Biden also took steps over the weekend to defuse hostilities. During a one-hour call Saturday, he warned Putin of the potential for "widespread human suffering" if Russia invades, noting that the U.S. is "equally prepared" for situations other than diplomacy. But just before that call took place, the Pentagon moved to withdraw nearly 160 members of the Florida National Guard from Ukraine, repositioning them elsewhere in Europe.

Biden has thus far seemed uninterested in putting American boots directly on the ground in Ukraine. That is a good thing, and it reflects the American public's broad skepticism toward risking conflict with Russia.

According to a new poll conducted by Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) and YouGov, 49 percent of the general population does not favor the U.S. going to war with Russia if it invades Ukraine. Only 9 percent strongly favor U.S. military involvement to counter Russia, while 15 percent somewhat favor it. A little more than a quarter of respondents were "not sure" if the U.S. should go to war. Opposition to conflict came in at 44 percent and 46 percent for independents and Democrats, respectively; for Republicans, it was 57 percent.