Republicans hitting their opponents for being weak on Russia is as old as the Cold War. But Russia’s assault on Ukraine and the pro-Trump right’s friendly rhetoric toward Russia means Republicans are not just attacking Democrats: they are attacking other Republicans as weak on Russia.

In Ohio’s Senate race to replace retiring Republican Sen Rob Portman has become a focal point. Republican candidate JD Vance said: “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another” and added that “I’m sick of Joe Biden focusing on the border of a country I don’t care about while he lets the border of his own country become a total war zone.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/russia-ukraine-republican-senate-primaries-b2036583.html

WASHINGTON ― Russian President Vladimir Putin directed efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election with the goal of helping President-elect Donald Trump win, the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency concluded in a report released Friday.

Moscow is responsible for cyberattacks directed at the Democratic National Committee, the authors of the report argued. Russian spies gained access to DNC networks in July 2015 and maintained access until at least June 2016, according to the report.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/intelligence-report-russia-hack-election_n_586fed0fe4b02b5f8588b94a

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he wanted President Donald Trump to win the 2016 election because he believed Trump's policies would be more friendly to the Kremlin.

"Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Because he talked about bringing the U.S.-Russia relationship back to normal,” Putin said, standing alongside Trump at a joint news conference.

Putin was asked whether he directed any of his officials to help Trump’s presidential campaign, but Putin appeared to sidestep that part of the question.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/16/putin-trump-win-election-2016-722486

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/15/kremlin-papers-appear-to-show-putins-plot-to-put-trump-in-white-house

Former President Trump told Fox News' "Hannity" on Thursday night that the Russian invasion of Ukraine "truly is a crime against humanity" that "has to end soon."

What he's saying: "The problem with Putin is he's got a very big ego," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity.

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-slams-russian-invasion-ukraine-043544723.html