Republicans divided over response to Russian aggression in Ukraine

Republican divisions over President Joe Biden's response to Russian aggression in Ukraine have revived the party's foreign-policy debates ahead of this year's midterm elections, with many GOP lawmakers and candidates eager to cast Biden as weak, while they're increasingly splintered over the scope of U.S. involvement.

The varied and at times conflicting Republican reactions, both on the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill, underscore how the party remains deeply influenced by former President Donald Trump, who praised Vladimir Putin as "savvy" after the Russian president recognized the independence of two Russian separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine.

While most Republicans have balked at Putin's moves in Ukraine and called for swift and steep sanctions, others aligned with Trump have echoed the former president and adopted a far less hostile view of the Russian leader and been more circumspect about any U.S. military action in Europe. That sentiment has been bolstered by Trump allies on prominent media platforms, many of whom been framing Washington's alarm about Russia as an establishment, even elitist, concern.