Liz Cheney says Trump's 'adulation' of Putin 'aids our enemies' after the former president praised Russia's justification to invade Ukraine

• Russia ordered troops into two pro-Kremlin regions of Ukraine under the guise of "peacekeeping."
• Trump on Tuesday praised Russia's strategy to get troops into Ukraine "genius" and "savvy."

Rep. Liz Cheney said Donald Trump was emboldening the US' foreign adversaries after the former president praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's justification to invade Ukraine.

On Monday, Putin ordered Russian troops to move into eastern Ukraine on a "peacekeeping" mission, following his decision to recognize two self-declared independent and pro-Kremlin oblasts in Ukraine.

The following day, Trump made glowing remarks about Putin's strategy during an appearance on "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show," calling the plan "genius" and "savvy."

"Trump's adulation of Putin today — including calling him a 'genius' — aids our enemies," Cheney tweeted Tuesday.

"Trump's interests don't seem to align with the interests of the United States of America."

Cheney is one of Trump's most vocal opponents in the Republican Party and was among the ten GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach him over his role in the Capitol riot.

During his Tuesday appearance, Trump spoke at length about his view of Putin and Russia's plan for Ukraine.

"I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine ... as independent. Oh, that's wonderful," Trump said.

"I said, 'How smart is that?' And he's going to go in and be a peacekeeper.'"

"They're going to keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here's a guy who's very savvy. … I know him very well — very, very well."

"I got along with him great. He liked me. I liked him," Trump said. "I mean, you know, he's a tough cookie, got a lot of the great charm and a lot of pride ... and he loves his country, you know? He loves his country."

Cheney's Tuesday comments struck a similar tone to those made by Trump's former Russia advisor, Fiona Hill, who told CNN he had emboldened Putin by treating Ukraine as a "playground" during his time in the White House.

Hill cited Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to provide compromising material about then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. At the time, Trump admitted threatening to withhold military aid from Ukraine over the issue.

"Not once did I see him do anything to put America first. Not once. Not for a single second," Hill said.

"All this did was say to Russia that Ukraine was a playground."

The Biden administration announced sweeping sanctions on Tuesday in response to Russia's plans for Ukraine. "This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine," Biden said during the announcement.