Two simple questions, few straight answers

February 26, 2025

In just three weeks, President Donald Trump has exploded long-standing U.S. foreign policy and sided with Russia against Ukraine and the rest of NATO. He sent American diplomats to open negotiations with Russian counterparts—without inviting Kyiv to participate. He falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia, and echoed the Kremlin line by calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.” Then, in a press conference on Monday, Trump declined to say the same of Vladimir Putin. “I don’t use those words lightly,” he told a reporter.

Most Republicans strongly condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and have voted on multiple occasions to send the country military aid. But with their party’s leader back in the White House, many of them have grown quiet. Are any GOP lawmakers willing to say, in plain terms, what is true?

I reached out to all 271 Republican members of the House and Senate to find out, asking each of them two straightforward questions: Did Russia invade Ukraine? And is Putin a dictator? So far, I have received 19 responses.

Some members were unambiguous: “Yes and yes,” a spokesperson for Senator Susan Collins of Maine replied in an email. “Vladimir is undisputedly an enemy of America and a dictator,” read part of the statement from the office of Representative Jeff Hurd of Colorado.

Others chose to send excerpts of previous non-answer statements or links to past TV interviews rather than answer either “yes” or “no.” A spokesperson for the GOP’s House leader, Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, replied only with a readout of Johnson’s praise for Trump’s dealmaking prowess. A spokesperson for Senator Ted Cruz of Texas replied with a link to an interaction with ChatGPT in which the chatbot noted that Cruz had in 2022 acknowledged Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and did in 2020 call Putin a dictator. (Still, no straightforward “yes” from Cruz today.)

The House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Representative Brian Mast of Florida, opted to stake out a position that seemed different from Trump’s: The panel posted a screenshot of our questions on X, with the caption: “ON THE RECORD: Russia invaded Ukraine & Putin is a dictator. But that doesn’t mean our European allies shouldn’t match Russian military spending & recruitment.” (Another post referred to our questions as “BS.”) The Atlantic followed up to ask whether this statement represented Mast’s personal view, but received no further response.

Others refused to answer entirely: “Does the Atlantic believe we’re here to answer gotcha questions to advance narrow opinion journalism?” Jonathan Wilcox, communications director for Representative Darrell Issa of California, said in an email.

In fact, it is clearly in the public interest to know how elected officials, particularly those who make decisions about national security, regard foreign powers that have long positioned themselves against the United States. And it is also clearly in the public interest for citizens to know if their representatives’ views have shifted on who is—or is not—a foreign adversary.

What follows is the full list of responses from every Republican member of Congress. It will be regularly updated with any additional responses.

Lawmakers Who Answered the Questions

Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska: A spokesperson pointed to a statement on X from Bacon on February 19, in which he said: “Putin started this war. Putin committed war crimes. Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents. The EU nations have contributed more to Ukraine. Zelensky polls over 50%. Ukraine wants to be part of the West, Putin hates the West. I don’t accept George Orwell’s doublethink.”

Representative Michael Baumgartner of Washington: “The Congressman expressed all his thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine War to the Spokane-Review on February 19. He was very clear that Russia and Vladimir Putin were the aggressors of the war in Ukraine,” a spokesman said, adding this link.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine: “As Senator Collins has said multiple times, yes and yes,” a spokesperson said.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas: A spokesperson shared this link, pointing to earlier statements the senator had made about Putin and the Ukraine war.

Senator John Curtis of Utah: A spokesperson pointed to Curtis’s bipartisan resolution supporting Ukraine and a February 25 interview on KSL NewsRadio, in which Curtis said, “Ukraine was invaded by a dictator.”

Representative Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota: “Yes, Vladimir Putin and Russia invaded Ukraine and yes, he is a dictator,” the representative told me. “This war has cost countless lives and destabilized the world. I believe President Trump has the strength and leadership to bring peace and restore stability in a way that puts America’s interests first.”

Representative Jeff Hurd of Colorado: “Did Russia invade Ukraine? Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an unprovoked act of war. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a dictator? Vladimir is undisputedly an enemy of America and a dictator. It is dishonorable and wrong not to stand up against the tyranny of Putin,” a spokesperson said.

Representative Young Kim of California: “Yes to both,” a spokesperson said.

Representative Brian Mast of Florida: A spokesperson for Mast sent a link to a post on X from the House Foreign Affairs Committee calling The Atlantic’s inquiry “BS” and declaring it would cancel its subscription to our magazine. “ON THE RECORD: Russia invaded Ukraine & Putin is a dictator. But that doesn’t mean our European allies shouldn’t match Russian military spending & recruitment. Europe must realize that for our alliance to be the strongest in history, America needs a Europe that can hold its own.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: A spokesperson sent a link to a statement in which the senator said that Russia launched an “unprovoked war on Ukraine.” The spokesperson added: “And yes, she does believe that Vladimir Putin is a dictator.”

Representative Austin Scott of Georgia: “Russia invaded Ukraine and is the aggressor in this war,” the representative told me. “Putin is a dictator who has invaded Ukraine multiple times—this war would end today if he would pull his troops back into Russia.”

Senator Todd Young of Indiana: “Yes and yes,” a spokesperson said.

Lawmakers Who Responded but Did Not Directly Answer the Questions

Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas: A spokesman provided a link to an interview with Piers Morgan in which Crenshaw cautioned against returning to a pre–World War II order allowing “dictators to conquer other countries and take their stuff.”

Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio: A spokesperson said the representative declined to comment.

Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa: “Like all Americans, Ernst wants to see an end to Putin’s unjust war that has cost far too many lives,” a spokesperson said

Representative French Hill of Arkansas: A spokesperson did not address the question of whether Putin is a dictator, but sent a link to an Arkansas PBS interview in which the representative said, “This war was started by Vladimir Putin,” and that “Ukraine has to be at the table” for any peace deal

Representative Darrell Issa of California: A spokesperson said, “Does the Atlantic believe we’re here to answer gotcha questions to advance narrow opinion journalism?”

Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana: A spokesperson sent over Johnson’s recent comments during this week’s GOP leadership press conference about Trump’s dealmaking skills and his desire for peace in Ukraine, but did not answer either question directly.

Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama: A spokesperson did not answer directly but sent a link to an interview with Newsmax, in which the senator said, “President Trump is not a Putin apologist. He just wants to get the war over with.”

Senate Republicans Who Have Not Responded

Jim Banks of Indiana John Barrasso of Wyoming Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee John Boozman of Arkansas Katie Britt of Alabama Ted Budd of North Carolina Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia Bill Cassidy of Louisiana John Cornyn of Texas Tom Cotton of Arkansas Kevin Cramer of North Dakota Mike Crapo of Idaho Steve Daines of Montana Deb Fischer of Nebraska Lindsey Graham of South Carolina Charles Grassley of Iowa Bill Hagerty of Tennessee Josh Hawley of Missouri John Hoeven of North Dakota Jon Husted of Ohio Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi Ron Johnson of Wisconsin Jim Justice of West Virginia John Neely Kennedy of Louisiana James Lankford of Oklahoma Mike Lee of Utah Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming Roger Marshall of Kansas Mitch McConnell of Kentucky Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania Ashley Moody of Florida Jerry Moran of Kansas Bernie Moreno of Ohio Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma Rand Paul of Kentucky Pete Ricketts of Nebraska James Risch of Idaho Mike Rounds of South Dakota Eric Schmitt of Missouri Rick Scott of Florida Tim Scott of South Carolina Tim Sheehy of Montana Dan Sullivan of Alaska John Thune of South Dakota Thom Tillis of North Carolina Roger Wicker of Mississippi

House Republicans Who Have Not Responded

Robert Aderholt of Alabama Mark Alford of Missouri Rick Allen of Georgia Mark Amodei of Nevada Jodey Arrington of Texas Brian Babin of Texas James Baird of Indiana Troy Balderson of Ohio Andy Barr of Kentucky Tom Barrett of Michigan Aaron Bean of Florida Nick Begich of Alaska Cliff Bentz of Oregon Jack Bergman of Michigan Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma Andy Biggs of Arizona Sheri Biggs of South Carolina Gus Bilirakis of Florida Lauren Boebert of Colorado Mike Bost of Illinois Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania Vern Buchanan of Florida Tim Burchett of Tennessee Eric Burlison of Missouri Ken Calvert of California Kat Cammack of Florida Mike Carey of Ohio John Carter of Texas Earl Carter of Georgia Juan Ciscomani of Arizona Ben Cline of Virginia Michael Cloud of Texas Andrew Clyde of Georgia Tom Cole of Oklahoma Mike Collins of Georgia James Comer of Kentucky Eli Crane of Arizona Jeff Crank of Colorado Eric Crawford of Arkansas Monica De La Cruz of Texas Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida Byron Donalds of Florida Troy Downing of Montana Neal Dunn of Florida Beth Van Duyne of Texas Chuck Edwards of North Carolina Jake Ellzey of Texas Tom Emmer of Minnesota Ron Estes of Kansas Gabe Evans of Colorado Mike Ezell of Mississippi Pat Fallon of Texas Randy Feenstra of Iowa Brad Finstad of Minnesota Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania Charles Fleischmann of Tennessee Mike Flood of Nebraska Vince Fong of California Virginia Foxx of North Carolina Scott Franklin of Florida Russell Fry of South Carolina Russ Fulcher of Idaho Andrew Garbarino of New York Brandon Gill of Texas Carlos Gimenez of Florida Craig Goldman of Texas Tony Gonzales of Texas Lance Gooden of Texas Paul Gosar of Arizona Sam Graves of Missouri Mark Green of Tennessee Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia Morgan Griffith of Virginia Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin Michael Guest of Mississippi Brett Guthrie of Kentucky Harriet Hageman of Wyoming Abe Hamadeh of Arizona Mike Haridopolos of Florida Pat Harrigan of North Carolina Andy Harris of Maryland Mark Harris of North Carolina Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee Kevin Hern of Oklahoma Clay Higgins of Louisiana Ashley Hinson of Iowa Erin Houchin of Indiana Richard Hudson of North Carolina Bill Huizenga of Michigan Wesley Hunt of Texas Brian Jack of Georgia Ronny Jackson of Texas John James of Michigan Dusty Johnson of South Dakota Jim Jordan of Ohio David Joyce of Ohio John Joyce of Pennsylvania Thomas Kean of New Jersey Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania Trent Kelly of Mississippi Mike Kennedy of Utah Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia Kevin Kiley of California Brad Knott of North Carolina David Kustoff of Tennessee Darin LaHood of Illinois Nick LaLota of New York Doug LaMalfa of California Nicholas Langworthy of New York Robert Latta of Ohio Michael Lawler of New York Laurel Lee of Florida Julia Letlow of Louisiana Barry Loudermilk of Georgia Frank Lucas of Oklahoma Anna Paulina Luna of Florida Morgan Luttrell of Texas Nancy Mace of South Carolina Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania Nicole Malliotakis of New York Celeste Maloy of Utah Tracey Mann of Kansas Thomas Massie of Kentucky Michael McCaul of Texas Lisa McClain of Michigan Tom McClintock of California Richard McCormick of Georgia Addison McDowell of North Carolina John McGuire of Virginia Mark Messmer of Indiana Daniel Meuser of Pennsylvania Carol Miller of West Virginia Mary Miller of Illinois Max Miller of Ohio Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa Cory Mills of Florida John Moolenaar of Michigan Barry Moore of Alabama Blake Moore of Utah Riley Moore of West Virginia Tim Moore of North Carolina Nathaniel Moran of Texas Greg Murphy of North Carolina Troy Nehls of Texas Dan Newhouse of Washington Ralph Norman of South Carolina Zach Nunn of Iowa Jay Obernolte of California Andrew Ogles of Tennessee Bob Onder of Missouri Burgess Owens of Utah Gary Palmer of Alabama Scott Perry of Pennsylvania August Pfluger of Texas Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania Hal Rogers of Kentucky Mike Rogers of Alabama John Rose of Tennessee David Rouzer of North Carolina Chip Roy of Texas Michael Rulli of Ohio John Rutherford of Florida Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida Steve Scalise of Louisiana Derek Schmidt of Kansas David Schweikert of Arizona Keith Self of Texas Pete Sessions of Texas Jefferson Shreve of Indiana Michael Simpson of Idaho Adrian Smith of Nebraska Christopher Smith of New Jersey Jason Smith of Missouri Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania Victoria Spartz of Indiana Pete Stauber of Minnesota Elise Stefanik of New York Bryan Steil of Wisconsin Greg Steube of Florida Dale Strong of Alabama Marlin Stutzman of Indiana Dave Taylor of Ohio Claudia Tenney of New York Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania Thomas Tiffany of Wisconsin William Timmons of South Carolina Mike Turner of Ohio David Valadao of California Jefferson Van Drew of New Jersey Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin Ann Wagner of Missouri Tim Walberg of Michigan Randy Weber of Texas Daniel Webster of Florida Bruce Westerman of Arkansas Roger Williams of Texas Joe Wilson of South Carolina Tony Wied of Wisconsin Robert Wittman of Virginia Steve Womack of Arkansas Rudy Yakym of Indiana Ryan Zinke of Montana

With additional research and reporting by Amogh Dimri, Marc Novicoff, Gisela Salim-Peyer, and Annie Joy Williams.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/republicans-dictator-putin-ukraine/681841