A new poll suggests nearly three-quarters of Canadians believe NATO allies should prepare for military intervention as Russian aggression escalates in Ukraine, even as half hold out hope for a diplomatic resolution.

The online survey of one-thousand-515 Canadians was conducted by Leger between Friday and Sunday.

The results show about half of Canadians still believe a diplomatic end to the war is possible, but 64 per cent say the conflict between Ukraine and Russia will be protracted, and will last many years.

While 65 per cent of Canadians said governments should impose more severe sanctions against Russia, even if it means higher gas prices for western countries, only 35 per cent believe economic sanctions will actually convince Vladimir Putin to back down.

About three-quarters report they believe the situation has the potential to lead to a third world war, and about half of those polled say they believe Putin will use nuclear weapons if the conflict doesn't go his way.

The survey cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered truly random samples.