Republican Party (United States)

====Europe, Russia and Ukraine====
{{see also|United States and the Russian invasion of Ukraine}}
The 2016 Republican platform eliminated references to giving weapons to [[Ukraine]] in its fight with [[Russia]] and [[Separatist forces of the war in Donbass|rebel forces]]; the removal of this language reportedly resulted from intervention from staffers to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.<ref>{{cite news |author=Tracy Wilkinson |title=In a shift, Republican platform doesn't call for arming Ukraine against Russia, spurring outrage |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-na-pol-ukraine-gop-20160720-snap-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 21, 2016 |access-date=2016-07-25 }}</ref> However, the Trump administration approved a new sale of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trump admin approves new sale of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-admin-approves-sale-anti-tank-weapons-ukraine/story?id=65989898#:~:text=The%20Trump%20administration%20first%20approved,Javelins%20to%20Ukraine%20in%202017.&text=Catch%20up%20on%20the%20developing,source%20familiar%20with%20the%20plan. |publisher=ABC News |access-date=2019-10-01 |quote=The Trump administration first approved the sale of Javelins to Ukraine in December 2017 -- a step that former President Barack Obama never took and that Trump allies have pointed to as a sign of Trump's toughness on Russia.}}</ref> Republicans generally question European [[NATO]] members' insufficient investment in defense funding, and some are dissatisfied with U.S. aid to Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Erik |first1=Piccoli |title=Republicans are no friends of Europe |url=https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/republicans-are-no-friends-of-europe-162327 |publisher=ISPI |access-date=2024-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Trump's threat to NATO allies draws little condemnation from GOP, reflecting his grip on the party |date=February 12, 2024 |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-nato-presidential-election-congress-republicans-20e902788e8701999ce0424f73d478cc |publisher=AP |access-date=2024-02-12}}</ref> Some Republican members of the U.S. Congress support foreign aid to Israel but not to Ukraine,<ref name="Falk 2023 t804"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Riccardi |first=Nicholas |date=February 19, 2024 |title=Stalled US aid for Ukraine underscores GOP's shift away from confronting Russia  |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4492514-gop-strained-by-trump-influenced-shift-from-reagan-on-russia/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> accused by U.S. media of being [[pro-Russian]].<ref name="Cohn2023"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lillis |first=Mike |date=February 28, 2024 |title=GOP strained by Trump-influenced shift from Reagan on Russia  |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4492514-gop-strained-by-trump-influenced-shift-from-reagan-on-russia/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|quote=Experts say a variety of factors have led to the GOP’s more lenient approach to Moscow, some of which preceded Trump’s arrival on the political scene ... Trump’s popularity has only encouraged other Republicans to adopt a soft-gloves approach to Russia.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ball |first=Molly |date=February 23, 2024 |title=How Trump Turned Conservatives Against Helping Ukraine |url=https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/how-trump-turned-conservatives-against-helping-ukraine-d9f75b3b |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jonathan |first=Chait |date=February 23, 2024 |title=Russian Dolls Trump has finally remade Republicans into Putin's playthings. |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-republicans-vladimir-putin-puppets.html |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=[[New York (magazine)|Intelligencer]]|quote=But during his time in office and after, Trump managed to create, from the grassroots up, a Republican constituency for Russia-friendly policy ... Conservatives vying to be the Trumpiest of them all have realized that supporting Russia translates in the Republican mind as a proxy for supporting Trump. Hence the politicians most willing to defend his offenses against democratic norms — Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Lee, J. D. Vance — hold the most anti-Ukraine or pro-Russia views. Conversely, the least-Trumpy Republicans, such as Mitch McConnell and Mitt Romney, have the most hawkish views on Russia. The rapid growth of Trump’s once-unique pro-Russia stance is a gravitational function of his personality cult.}}</ref><ref name="Lange">{{Cite news |last=Lange |first=Jason |date=January 17, 2024 |title=Trump's rise sparks isolationist worries abroad, but voters unfazed |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-rise-sparks-isolationist-worries-among-us-allies-americans-focus-home-2024-01-17/ |access-date=January 17, 2024 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref name="New York Times">{{cite news |title=Fears of a NATO Withdrawal Rise as Trump Seeks a Return to Power|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/09/us/politics/trump-2025-nato.html |work=New York Times |date=December 9, 2023|access-date=December 10, 2023|last1=Swan|first1=Jonathan|last2=Savage|first2=Charlie|last3=Haberman|first3=Maggie}}</ref><ref name="Baker">{{cite news |last=Baker|first=Peter|title=Favoring Foes Over Friends, Trump Threatens to Upend International Order|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/11/us/politics/trump-nato.html|work=The New York Times |date=February 11, 2024|access-date=February 21, 2024|issn=1553-8095|language=en|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Amid the [[Russo-Ukrainian war]], several prominent Republicans criticized some colleagues and conservative media outlets for echoing Russian propaganda. [[Liz Cheney]], formerly the third-ranking House Republican, said "a [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]] wing of the Republican Party" had emerged. Republican Senator [[Mitt Romney]] characterized pro-Putin sentiments expressed by some Republicans as "almost treasonous." Former vice president [[Mike Pence]] said, "There is no room in the Republican Party for apologists for Putin." [[House Foreign Affairs Committee]] chairman [[Michael McCaul]] asserted that Russian propaganda had "infected a good chunk of my party's base," attributing the cause to "nighttime entertainment shows" and "conspiracy-theory outlets that are just not accurate, and they actually model Russian propaganda." [[House Intelligence Committee]] chairman [[Mike Turner]] confirmed McCaul's assessment, asserting that some propaganda coming directly from Russia could be heard on the House floor. Republican senator [[Thom Tillis]] characterized the influential conservative commentator [[Tucker Carlson]], who frequently expresses pro-Russia sentiments, as Russia's "[[useful idiot]]".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lotz |first1=Avery |title=House Intelligence Committee chair says Russian propaganda has spread through parts of GOP |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/07/politics/mike-turner-russia-ukraine-propaganda-gop-cnntv/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=April 7, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240411080400/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/07/politics/mike-turner-russia-ukraine-propaganda-gop-cnntv/index.html |archive-date= Apr 11, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=Republicans begin to target Putin 'apologists' in their midst |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/16/republicans-begin-target-putin-apologists-their-midst/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 16, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Miranda |first1=Shauneen |title=Turner: Russian propaganda "being uttered on the House floor" |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/04/07/russian-propaganda-republican-party-mike-turner |work=Axios |date=April 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=Top GOPers' extraordinary comments on their party and Russian propaganda |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/06/when-top-republican-says-russian-propaganda-has-infected-gop/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 8, 2024}}</ref>