In just three weeks, President Donald Trump has exploded long-standing U.S. foreign policy and sided with Russia against Ukraine and the rest of NATO. He sent American diplomats to open negotiations with Russian counterparts—without inviting Kyiv to participate. He falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia, and echoed the Kremlin line by calling Ukrainian President Zelensky a “dictator.” Then, in a press conference on Monday, Trump declined to say the same of Putin. “I don’t use those words lightly,” he told a reporter.Most Republicans strongly condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and have voted on multiple occasions to send the country military aid. But with their party’s leader back in the White House, many of them have grown quiet. Are any GOP lawmakers willing to say, in plain terms, what is true?I reached out to all 271 Republican members of the House and Senate to find out, asking each of them two straightforward questions: Did Russia invade Ukraine? And is Putin a dictator? So far, I have received 19 responses.Some members were unambiguous: “Yes and yes,” a spokesperson for Senator Susan Collins of Maine replied in an email. “Vladimir is undisputedly an enemy of America and a dictator,” read part of the statement from the office of Representative Jeff Hurd of Colorado.Others chose to send excerpts of previous non-answer statements or links to past TV interviews rather than answer either “yes” or “no.” A spokesperson for the GOP’s House leader, Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, replied only with a readout of Johnson’s praise for Trump’s deal-making prowess. A spokesperson for Senator Ted Cruz of Texas replied with a link to an interaction with ChatGPT in which the chatbot noted that Cruz had in 2022 acknowledged Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and did in 2020 call Putin a dictator. (Still, no straightforward “yes” from Cruz today.)The House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Representative Brian Mast of Florida, opted to stake out a position that seemed different from Trump’s: The panel posted a screenshot of our questions on X, with the caption: “ON THE RECORD: Russia invaded Ukraine & Putin is a dictator. But that doesn’t mean our European allies shouldn’t match Russian military spending & recruitment.” (Another post referred to our questions as “BS.”) The Atlantic followed up to ask whether this statement represented Mast’s personal view, but received no further response.Others refused to answer entirely: “Does the Atlantic believe we’re here to answer gotcha questions to advance narrow opinion journalism?” Jonathan Wilcox, communications director for Representative Darrell Issa of California, said in an email.In fact, it is clearly in the public interest to know how elected officials, particularly those who make decisions about national security, regard foreign powers that have long positioned themselves against the United States. And it is also clearly in the public interest for citizens to know if their representatives’ views have shifted on who is—or is not—a foreign adversary.What follows is the full list of responses from every Republican member of Congress. It will be regularly updated with any additional responses.Lawmakers Who Answered the QuestionsRepresentative Don Bacon of Nebraska: A spokesperson pointed to a statement on X from Bacon on February 19, in which he said: “Putin started this war. Putin committed war crimes. Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents. The EU nations have contributed more to Ukraine. Zelensky polls over 50%. Ukraine wants to be part of the West, Putin hates the West. I don’t accept George Orwell’s doublethink.”Representative Michael Baumgartner of Washington: “The Congressman expressed all his thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine War to the Spokane-Review on February 19. He was very clear that Russia and Vladimir Putin were the aggressors of the war in Ukraine,” a spokesman said, adding this link.Senator Susan Collins of Maine: “As Senator Collins has said multiple times, yes and yes,” a spokesperson said.Senator Ted Cruz of Texas: A spokesperson shared this link, pointing to earlier statements the senator had made about Putin and the Ukraine war.Senator John Curtis of Utah: A spokesperson pointed to Curtis’s bipartisan resolution supporting Ukraine and a February 25 interview on KSL NewsRadio, in which Curtis said, “Ukraine was invaded by a dictator.”Representative Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota: “Yes, Vladimir Putin and Russia invaded Ukraine and yes, he is a dictator,” the representative told me. “This war has cost countless lives and destabilized the world. I believe President Trump has the strength and leadership to bring peace and restore stability in a way that puts America’s interests first.”Representative Jeff Hurd of Colorado: “Did Russia invade Ukraine? Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an unprovoked act of war. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a dictator? Vladimir is undisputedly an enemy of America and a dictator. It is dishonorable and wrong not to stand up against the tyranny of Putin,” a spokesperson said.Representative Young Kim of California: “Yes to both,” a spokesperson said.Representative Brian Mast of Florida: A spokesperson for Mast sent a link to a post on X from the House Foreign Affairs Committee calling The Atlantic’s inquiry “BS” and declaring it would cancel its subscription to our magazine. “ON THE RECORD: Russia invaded Ukraine & Putin is a dictator. But that doesn’t mean our European allies shouldn’t match Russian military spending & recruitment. Europe must realize that for our alliance to be the strongest in history, America needs a Europe that can hold its own.”Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: A spokesperson sent a link to a statement in which the senator said that Russia launched an “unprovoked war on Ukraine.” The spokesperson added: “And yes, she does believe that Vladimir Putin is a dictator.”Representative Austin Scott of Georgia: “Russia invaded Ukraine and is the aggressor in this war,” the representative told me. “Putin is a dictator who has invaded Ukraine multiple times—this war would end today if he would pull his troops back into Russia.”Senator Todd Young of Indiana: “Yes and yes,” a spokesperson said.Lawmakers Who Responded But Did Not Directly Answer the QuestionsRepresentative Dan Crenshaw of Texas: A spokesman provided a link to an interview with Piers Morgan in which Crenshaw cautioned against returning to a pre-World War II order allowing “dictators to conquer other countries and take their stuff.”Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio: A spokesperson said the representative declined to comment.Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa: “Like all Americans, Ernst wants to see an end to Putin’s unjust war that has cost far too many lives,” a spokesperson saidRepresentative French Hill of Arkansas: A spokesperson did not address the question of whether Putin is a dictator, but sent a link to an Arkansas PBS interview in which the representative said, “this war was started by Vladimir Putin,” and that “Ukraine has to be at the table” for any peace dealRepresentative Darrell Issa of California: A spokesperson said, “Does the Atlantic believe we’re here to answer gotcha questions to advance narrow opinion journalism?”Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana: A spokesperson sent over Johnson’s recent comments during this week’s GOP leadership press conference about Trump’s dealmaking skills and his desire for peace in Ukraine, but did not answer either question directly.Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama: A spokesperson did not answer directly but sent a link to an interview with Newsmax, in which the senator said, “President Trump is not a Putin apologist. He just wants to get the war over with.”Senate Republicans Who Have Not RespondedJim BanksJohn BarrassoMarsha BlackburnJohn BoozmanKatie BrittTed BuddShelley Moore CapitoBill CassidyJohn CornynTom CottonKevin CramerMike CrapoSteve DainesDeb FischerLindsay GrahamCharles GrassleyBill HagertyJosh HawleyJohn HoevenJon HustedCindy Hyde-SmithRon JohnsonJim JusticeJohn Neely KennedyJames LankfordMike LeeCynthia LummisRoger MarshallMitch McConnellDave McCormickAshley MoodyJerry MoranBernie MorenoMarkwayne MullinRand PaulPete RickettsJames RischMike RoundsEric SchmittRick ScottTim ScottTim SheehyDan SullivanJohn ThuneThom TillisRoger WickerHouse Republicans Who Have Not RespondedRobert AderholtMark AlfordRick AllenMark AmodeiJodey ArringtonBrian BabinJames BairdTroy BaldersonAndy BarrTom BarrettAaron BeanNick BegichCliff BentzJack BergmanStephanie BiceAndy BiggsSheri BiggsGus BilirakisLauren BoebertMike BostJosh BrecheenRob BresnahanVern BuchananTim BurchettEric BurlisonKen CalvertKat CammackMike CareyJohn CarterEarl Buddy CarterJuan CiscomaniBen ClineMichael CloudAndrew ClydeTom ColeMike CollinsJames ComerEli CraneJeff CrankEric Rick CrawfordMonica De La CruzScott DesJarlaisMario Diaz-BalartByron DonaldsTroy DowningNeal DunnBeth Van DuyneChuck EdwardsJake EllzeyTom EmmerRon EstesGabe EvansMike EzellPat FallonRandy FeenstraBrad FinstadMichelle FischbachScott FitzgeraldBrian FitzpatrickCharles Chuck FleischmannMike FloodVince FongVirginia FoxxScott FranklinRussell FryRuss FulcherAndrew GarbarinoBrandon GillCarlos GimenezCraig GoldmanTony GonzalesLance GoodenPaul GosarSam GravesMark GreenMarjorie Taylor GreeneMorgan GriffithGlenn GrothmanMichael GuestBrett GuthrieHarriet HagemanAbe HamadehMike HaridopolosPat HarriganAndy HarrisMark HarrisDiana HarshbargerKevin HernClay HigginsAshley HinsonErin HouchinRichard HudsonBill HuizengaWesley HuntBrian JackRonny JacksonJohn JamesDusty JohnsonJim JordanDavid JoyceJohn JoyceThomas KeanMike KellyTrent KellyMike KennedyJennifer KiggansKevin KileyBrad KnottDavid KustoffDarin LaHoodNick LaLotaDoug LaMalfaNicholas LangworthyRobert LattaMichael LawlerLaurel LeeJulia LetlowBarry LoudermilkFrank LucasAnna Paulina LunaMorgan LuttrellNancy MaceRyan MackenzieNicole MalliotakisCeleste MaloyTracey MannThomas MassieMichael McCaulLisa McClainTom McClintockRichard McCormickAddison McDowellJohn McGuireMark MessmerDaniel MeuserCarol MillerMary MillerMax MillerMariannette Miller-MeeksCory MillsJohn MoolenaarBarry MooreBlake MooreRiley MooreTim MooreNathaniel MoranGreg MurphyTroy NehlsDan NewhouseRalph NormanZach NunnJay ObernolteAndrew OglesBob OnderBurgess OwensGary PalmerScott PerryAugust PflugerGuy ReschenthalerHal RogersMike RogersJohn RoseDavid RouzerChip RoyMichael RulliJohn RutherfordMaria Elvira SalazarSteve ScaliseDerek SchmidtDavid SchweikertKeith SelfPete SessionsJefferson ShreveMichael SimpsonAdrian SmithChristopher SmithJason SmithLloyd SmuckerVictoria SpartzPete StauberElise StefanikBryan SteilGreg SteubeDale StrongMarlin StutzmanDave TaylorClaudia TenneyGlenn GT ThompsonThomas TiffanyWilliam TimmonsMike TurnerDavid ValadaoJefferson Van DrewDerrick Van OrdenAnn WagnerTim WalbergRandy WeberDaniel WebsterBruce WestermanRoger WilliamsJoe WilsonTony WiedRobert WittmanSteve WomackRudy YakymRyan ZinkeWith additional research and reporting by Amogh Dimri, Marc Novicoff, Gisela Salim-Peyer, and Annie Joy Williams.