Presidents Biden and Putin during the start of their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, 2021

A new poll conducted by Yahoo News/YouGov has found that in the midst of the Ukraine crisis, more than 6 out of 10 Republicans (62%) consider Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a "stronger leader" than Joe Biden.

"Shame on them," said John Sipher, who ran Russia operations during his 30 years in the CIA's National Clandestine Service. “Vladimir Putin hates the United States," he said, before adding "He’s undercut every foreign policy issue, [including] foreign policy issues that Republicans have supported for years around the world. He’s assassinating people around the world.”

The survey, which included more than 1,500 adults, found that the number of Republican respondents who believed Putin was stronger than Biden rose to 71% among those who listed Fox News as their primary source of cable news, and fell to 54% among those who preferred other cable news channels.

Republican views on Russia were likely affected by statements over the past few years by President Donald Trump, who said in 2016 that Putin "has been a leader far more than our president," referring to Barack Obama.

“In Gallup polls before 2016, Republicans generally viewed Russia less favorably than Democrats did. Now it’s the other way around," said Slate writer William Saletan.

In the Yahoo poll, 25% of GOP respondents declined to take side, while just 4% said Biden was stronger than Putin.

Biden's approval rating sliding

US President Joe Biden's approval rating reached a new low in the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, as the White House faces crises on multiple fronts.

Quoting US-based newspaper The Hill, to which the poll was sent exclusively, “Biden’s approval rating fell to 39% in the poll," adding that "18% of registered voters said they strongly approve of the job he’s doing, while 21% say they somewhat approve." On the other hand, "53% said they somewhat or strongly disapprove of his job performance."

According to another poll by CBS News/YouGov, half of Americans are frustrated with President Joe Biden and want him to focus more on rising inflation. The poll was conducted from January 12 to January 14, and it polled over 2,000 individuals.

49% reported feeling disappointed, and another 40% said they were "nervous." Of those polled, only 25% reported feeling satisfied and another 25% felt "calm."

A majority of respondents (65 %) reported that Biden should shift his focus on the economy and rising inflation.