Contrasting views of Russia show deepening Republican split over foreign policy
In the past week, President Donald Trump and senior Republican lawmakers have presented starkly different views of a top U.S. national security challenge: Russia, its war in Ukraine and the threat it poses to Europe and the United States.
Trump released a new national security strategy - which Moscow endorsed - calling for a quick peace deal in Ukraine, a retreat from bolstering European security and a conciliatory stance toward Russia.
Then the Republican-led House and Senate Armed Services Committees weighed in with a sweeping annual defense policy bill reaffirming U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO and restricting the Pentagon’s ability to reduce U.S. troop levels in Europe.
The documents suggest that despite Trump's tight grip over the Republican Party, foreign policy disagreements between the administration and lawmakers are widening.
In recent weeks, some Republican lawmakers have raised concerns publicly about administration foreign policy stances, including a three-month-long campaign of bombings of alleged drug-smuggling boats off Latin America, a military buildup around Venezuela and Trump's decision to allow sales of advanced U.S.-made computer chips to China.
“A large majority of Republicans ... in the Senate and the House believe Russians are adversaries of the United States, that Moscow’s war on Ukraine is a Russian aggression that must not succeed,"........





















Toi Staff
Sabine Sterk
Gideon Levy
Penny S. Tee
Mark Travers Ph.d
John Nosta
Daniel Orenstein