Ottawa - A new poll showed that nearly three-quarters of Canadians believe NATO allies should prepare for military intervention as Russian aggression escalates in Ukraine, with half of them having no hope for a diplomatic solution.

The online survey was conducted on 1515 Canadians and 1002 Americans between Friday and Sunday.

The margin of error cannot be assigned in the survey because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.

On the other hand, NATO expressed its solidarity with Ukraine in the form of supplies, weapons, and sanctions since the early days of the recent Russian incursion into its territory, but it has not deployed troops to fight.

For his part, Christian Bourque, Executive Vice President, said, "This is the first time people say 'Give diplomacy and sanctions a chance but prepare for the possibility that this will turn into military intervention.'"

Still, nearly 49 percent of Canadians believe a diplomatic end to the war is possible, but 64 percent said the conflict between Ukraine and Russia will be long and will last for many years.

Sixty-five percent of Canadians said governments must impose harsher sanctions on Russia, even if that means higher gas prices for Western countries, although 62 percent agreed that sanctions primarily harm the Russian people and not Russian President Vladimir Putin directly. Only 35 percent believe that economic sanctions will convince Putin to back down.

The survey showed that Canadians recognize the risks are high and increasingly believe the conflict could escalate into a world war. About three-quarters said they believe the situation could lead to a third world war in this latest poll, compared to 66 percent of Canadians surveyed at the end of February when the conflict first started.

Nearly half of those surveyed, about 47 percent, say they believe Putin will use nuclear weapons if the conflict does not go his way.

Bourque said, "The fear factor is high."

Under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, an attack on a NATO country is considered an attack on all NATO countries, and all must help restore security.

According to the survey, about two-thirds of Canadians believe Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO—a step that could push allied countries into direct conflict with Russia.

Ukraine, which is currently considered a NATO partner, has repeatedly requested to join the treaty and even enshrined this goal in its constitution in 2019.

As for who will win the conflict, 41 percent of respondents admitted they do not know, and the remaining 59 percent are divided. 

Russia will win the war, according to 27 percent of respondents, while 33 percent believe Ukraine will succeed in driving out the Russians.