Republican lawmakers have been overwhelmingly complimentary of President Donald Trump meeting with Vladimir Putin and attempting to put the Russian leader in a room with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
But as the administration teases at least the theoretical possibility of a peace deal – however unlikely that might actually be – something else has crept into many of these GOP comments: A not-so-subtle fear that Putin might get too much.
Numerous Republicans and Trump media allies have in recent days layered their almost perfunctory praise of Trump with notes of caution about what happens next. They’ve often gently nudged him to be more skeptical of and hard-edged toward Putin than he’s been in public.
And they’ve expressly worried that the process could result in a “win” for Putin – a fear polls show many Americans share.
It looks a lot like they’re concerned the president who has long treated the Russian leader with kid gloves might give away the store in order to end the war.
Perhaps nobody has been as explicit about that as Sen. Thom Tillis.
Appearing Wednesday on “CBS Mornings,” the North Carolina Republican said it was clear Putin is stringing Trump along and warned against “even a modicum of a win” for the Russian president.
“Putin’s provocation is the fear that a former Soviet satellite could become a thriving Western democracy. That will be the beginning of the end of his failed Communist totalitarian experience,” said Tillis, who is not running for reelection next year.
“And giving him even a modicum of a win gives life to his belief that this world should be under totalitarian rule.”
Others have been more subtle but also raised big red flags about what Trump might try to give way.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has repeatedly cautioned that any “land swaps” should only recognize parts of Ukraine as being under Russian control – not actually hand them over to be part of Russia.
“Be very careful about rewarding Putin by giving him title to Ukrainian land through force of arms,” Graham told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, ahead of Trump’s meeting with Zelensky and European leaders.
He and others have cautioned that doing so could embolden China to try and take Taiwan by force.
“As to land swaps, remember: China is watching,” Graham told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday. “Don’t do anything in Ukraine that would entice China to take Taiwan.”
Hannity agreed that he “would rather not reward aggression on the part of Putin.”
Fellow Fox News host Mark Levin devoted a lengthy portion of his show the day after the Trump-Putin meeting to describing Russia’s territorial ambitions and the failures of past efforts like the Budapest Memorandum to rein them in.
He added in a social media post Tuesday after the latest Russian offensive in Ukraine: “Genocidal maniac Putin cannot control himself.”
Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker soon seized on Levin’s post to essentially plead with Trump – all while, of course, praising him.
“President @realDonaldTrump, your advocate, Mark Levin, warns that Vladimir Putin is a ‘genocidal maniac.’ These are wise words from a good friend. Putin lies and kills,” the Mississippi Republican wrote, adding: “Your leadership will be key to keep Ukraine, U.S., and Europe together against Putin’s delays and deceptions.”
Sen. Ted Cruz appeared on Fox News on Monday night and predicted Trump will land a peace deal – with a major caveat.
“What I have encouraged President Trump to do is to resolve it in a way that is a clear and discernible loss for Russia and Putin,” the Texas Republican said. “Russia is not our friend, Putin is not our friend.”
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina has repeatedly praised Trump as seeing through Putin’s lies.
“The war criminal, Putin, is misleading the world,” he said on CNN’s “The Lead” on Tuesday. “But we’ve got a president who understands. … Gee whiz, what a president we have with Donald Trump.”
Wilson added: “But I agree with what Donald Trump has previously said: He has lovely talks with Putin in the morning and then there are murderous attacks by war criminal Putin in the afternoon.”
The idea that Trump sees through Putin’s tactics is certainly debatable. It was as if Wilson was painting a picture of the Trump he’d like to see.
And perhaps the most critical House Republican has been Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who’s not seeking reelection.
He said Tuesday that he supported peace negotiations. But then he suggested Trump’s odd recent comments about Ukraine being able to make peace were not fortuitous.
“But saying Ukraine can have peace tomorrow if they want is a statement asking them to capitulate to Russia’s invasion,” Bacon said. “We should negotiate with moral clarity knowing Russia started this war with its ruthless invasion. We shouldn’t reward barbarity.”
These Republicans aren’t the only ones who seem to fear Putin getting too much. Polls have suggested many Americans agree.
A recent Fox News poll showed Americans said 58%-35% that Putin had the “upper hand” on Trump ahead of their summit. Large numbers of Americans have long said Trump is too favorable to Putin. And a Gallup poll showed 7 in 10 Americans were at least “somewhat” worried a peace deal would be too favorable to Russia.
But it’s telling that Republicans feel compelled to publicly express these concerns.
Negotiating an actual peace deal means getting down to the nitty-gritty of what’s an acceptable concession.
And that’s apparently a pretty scary prospect for the many Russia hawks who have quietly stood by for years as Trump and his party drifted away from Ukraine.