Warsaw (CNN) Asked his opinion on the Iraq War recently, Jeb Bush struggled to find his footing while supporting his brother. But ask about Russian President Vladimir Putin -- of whom former President George W. Bush once said that he "got a sense of his soul" -- and older brother Jeb gets right to the point: "He's a bully."

How does he square that difference? Jeb Bush said Thursday that Putin has evolved over the years.

"I think Putin has changed, for sure. He has changed over time and he has been emboldened by, whether it's true or not, the perception is that we've pulled back," Bush said. "So people do change and this is an example of that."

Indeed, George Bush's own relationship with the Russian leader deteriorated over his term, to a point where he and just about every other Republican agree Putin is a threat that needs to be contained.

Jeb Bush has not said exactly how he would handle Putin if elected president, but he did say Thursday that the U.S. needs to step up its military presence in Eastern Europe to support allies like Poland.

"We need to be more robust, we need to encourage our NATO allies in Europe to invest more in their own national security. We need to do the same In our country. We need to be consistent about what types of actions we will take should there be more aggression," he said.

On the crisis in Ukraine, where leaders are begging for more assistance from the West, Bush said they should be provided with more military help.

"We need to provide defensive military support. It's hard to make the structural reforms and grow the economy in a world where there is aggression," Bush said.

The theme of Bush's trip this week to Germany, Poland and Estonia -- ahead of his expected announcement Monday that he's running for president -- is to highlight what he calls the importance of a "forward leaning" American approach here, one he argues is lacking under the Obama administration.

But just how Bush would take the forward leaning concept, and turn it into policy as president, is a work in progress.

He would not say, for example, whether former Soviet countries like Ukraine should be accepted into NATO, instead saying he would defer to the process that allows that.

Photos: Jeb Bush's life Photos: Jeb Bush's life Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush waves as he takes the stage as he formally announces he is joining the race for president with a speech June 15, 2015, at Miami Dade College in Miami. Hide Caption 1 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Former Florida governor Jeb Bush shakes hands with attendees after speaking at the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference on February 27 in National Harbor, Maryland. Hide Caption 2 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush takes a selfie with a guest at a luncheon hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on February 18 in Chicago. Bush delivered his first major foreign policy speech at the event. Hide Caption 3 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush hands out items for Holiday Food Baskets to those in need outside the Little Havana offices of CAMACOL, the Latin American Chamber of Commerce on December 17 in Miami. Hide Caption 4 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush waves to the audience at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 30, 2012, on the final day of the Republican National Convention. Hide Caption 5 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush (left) and wife Columba Bush attend the 2012 Lincoln Center Institute Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on March 7, 2012, in New York City. Hide Caption 6 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life President Barack Obama (left) speaks about Bush (center) while visiting Miami Central Senior High School on March 4, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The visit focused on education. Hide Caption 7 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush (left) speaks with Brazilian President in charge Jose Alancar during a meeting at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, April 17, 2007. Bush was in Brazil to speak about sugar and ethanol business. Hide Caption 8 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Then-Texas Governor Rick Perry (center) testifies as Bush (right) and then-Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (left) listen during a hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill October 19, 2005. Hide Caption 9 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush gives a thumbs up signal from his car as he leaves a local polling station after casting his vote in Coral Gables, Florida, November 5, 2002. Hide Caption 10 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush walks out of the West Wing after meeting with his brother, then-President George W. Bush, at the White House January 9, 2002. Governor Bush participated in the signing ceremony of the Everglades Protection Agreement. Hide Caption 11 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Then-Mexican President Vincente Fox (left) and Bush hold a press conference September 7, 2001, in Miami. Fox visited Florida to attend the Americas Conference and deliver a speech to speak about issues such as immigration. Hide Caption 12 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Then-President George W. Bush (right) is greeted by Jeb Bush on March 21, 2001, at Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida. President Bush was in Orlando to attend the American College of Cardiology Annual Convention. Hide Caption 13 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush speaks during a press conference at the Carandolet Government Palace in Quito, January 18, 2006. Bush and a businessmen delegation were in a two-day visit to talk about a free trade agreement. Hide Caption 14 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Bush speaks to reporters after meeting with the Florida State Cabinet at the Florida State Capitol Building November 16, 2000, in Tallahassee, Florida. Hide Caption 15 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Then-President George W. Bush (left) and Jeb Bush (right), raise their arms onstage following a rally at the Florida State Fairgrounds, October 25, 2000, in Brandon, Florida. Hide Caption 16 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Jeb Bush (left) and then-President George W. Bush stand with their arms around each other's shoulders at a rally in Miami, Florida, September 22, 2000. Hide Caption 17 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Then-President George W. Bush (right) and Jeb Bush go through the line for strawberries during a stop at the Stawberry Festival March 12, 2000 in Plant City, Florida. Hide Caption 18 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life The Bush family, (left to right) former U.S. President George W., former Florida Governor Jeb, former President George H.W. and his wife Barbara, watch play during the Foursomes matches September 25, 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts the site of the 33rd Ryder Cup Matches. Hide Caption 19 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Former President George H.W. Bush (second left), his wife Barbara Bush (left), their son Jeb Bush (center), then-first lady Hillary Clinton (second right), and former then-President Bill Clinton (right) look up to see the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team November 6, 1997 at the conclusion of the dedication ceremony of the George Bush Library in College Station, Texas. Hide Caption 20 of 21 Photos: Jeb Bush's life Portrait of the Bush family in front of their Kennebunkport, Maine house August 24, 1986. Pictured, back row: Margaret holding daughter Marshall, Marvin Bush, Bill LeBlond. Pictured, front row: Neil Bush holding son Pierce, Sharon, George W. Bush holding daughter Barbara, Laura Bush holding daughter Jenna, Barbara Bush, George Bush, Sam LeBlond, Doro Bush Lebond, George P. (Jeb's son), Jeb Bush holding son Jebby, Columba Bush and Noelle Bush. Hide Caption 21 of 21

Still, he sees plenty of room to attack the current president and implicitly criticize leading 2016 Democratic contender Hillary Clinton for an unsuccessful "reset" with Russia.

"I think to deal with Putin, you need to deal from strength. He's a bully," Bush said in Berlin Wednesday, repeating a message he's using throughout his Europe trip this week. "You enable bad behavior when you're nuanced with a guy like that."

He continued, "I'm not talking about being bellicose, but saying, 'Here are the consequences of your actions.' And that would deter the kind of bad outcome that we don't want to see."

And at the close of separate remarks in Berlin Tuesday, Bush took a final shot at Clinton and Obama.

"I think there's lots to do, and we're beginning to realize the 'reset button' didn't turn out so hot," he said.

Putin is a perfect whipping boy for Republicans as his support for separatists' hostile takeover of Ukraine combined with his condescending rhetoric toward the United States have revived Cold War rivalries between the two countries.

Since then, Western powers have pushed to isolate Putin. At the same time Bush was in Germany, Obama was in the country for a meeting of the G7, which kicked out Russia roughly a year ago. High on the agenda was whether economic sanctions against Russia were working.

Back home, the politics are easy for Republicans. Democrats have set the policy for the last seven years and one of the chief architects also happens to be the likely Democratic presidential nominee: Hillary Clinton.

"It makes sense that the Republican candidates are out to critique, and Hillary Clinton tries not to say much," said Leon Aron, U.S.-Russia relations expert at the American Enterprise Institute, who consulted with 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney but has not signed onto any 2016 campaign yet.

Aron noted that he has been contacted by several prospective Republican presidential campaigns and said the fact that candidates have been reaching out to him so early in the election cycle is a clear sign of the importance foreign policy -- and specifically U.S.-Russian relations -- will play in this race.

The interest so early in Russia, he said, is part of a broader trend which has American voters focused abroad this cycle, including deep worries about Middle East unrest.

But for all the clear advantages of using Putin as a punching bag, that role also has a liability when it comes to the Bushes.

In his book "Decision Points," George Bush recounted a meeting with Putin in 2001. At one point he asked if it was true that Putin's mother had given him a cross blessed in Jerusalem. Putin then softened somewhat as he told the story of how he lost the cross in a fire.

"I thought of the emotion in Vladimir's voice when he shared the story of the cross. 'I looked the man in the eye,' I said, '... I was able to get a sense of his soul,'" Bush wrote. Bush also assessed then that Putin was "straightforward" and "trustworthy."

Even fellow Republicans have criticized the president's comments. As the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain said, "I looked into Mr. Putin's eyes and I saw three things — a K and a G and a B." The 2012 Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, also warned that Putin posed a much more serious threat than was perceived by the Obama administration.

Yet by the time George Bush left the White House, he, too, had soured on Putin. In the final year of his term, Bush struggled to decide how to handle Russia's stunning invasion of Georgia. In his book, published two years after he left office, Bush called the invasion a "low point" in his relationship with Putin. He also noted that in the years following his 2001 meeting with the Russian president, "Putin would give me reasons to revise my opinion."

That makes it easier for his brother Jeb to take on the Russian leader during his trip to parts of the former Soviet Union this week.

And it also helped that George Bush's role in bolstering Eastern European countries is well-regarded in those states, making the Bushes sympatico on their over-arching foreign policy stance toward Russia.

Photos: A look at political families Photos: A look at political families Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump introduces his son Donald Trump Jr. as he addressed a crowd this April in Indianapolis. Trump Jr. has said that if his father becomes president, he's interested in being his secretary of the Interior. Hide Caption 1 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton attend a State Department dinner in 2012. Hillary Clinton is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Hide Caption 2 of 30 Photos: A look at political families U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, left, and his twin brother then-San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Now secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro is a contender to be the Democratic vice-president nominee. Hide Caption 3 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – Beau Biden embraces his father, Vice President Joe Biden, at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.. Before his death in 2015, Beau served as Delware's attorney general. Hide Caption 4 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell succeeded her husband, former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Michigan, in the seat he held for 58 years until his retirement in 2015. Hide Caption 5 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, announced that she was running for Senate in Wyoming in 2014. Her bid set up an intra-GOP battle with U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, a three-time incumbent. She dropped her Senate bid in January 2014. Hide Caption 6 of 30 Photos: A look at political families U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Michigan, comes from a prominent family in that state's politics. His brother Carl Levin was the state's senior senator until his retirement in January 2015. And his uncle, Theodore Levin, was a federal judge. Hide Caption 7 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – The night after John F. Kennedy won the 1960 presidential election this family portrait was made in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Sitting, from left, Eunice Shriver (on chair arm), Rose Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, head turned away from camera, and Ted Kennedy. Back row, from left, Ethel Kennedy, Stephen Smith, Jean Smith, President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Pat Lawford, Sargent Shriver, Joan Kennedy, and Peter Lawford. Hide Caption 8 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – The late U.S. Sen. Prescott Bush, R-Connecticut, center, was the father of former President George H.W. Bush, left, and grandfather of former President George W. Bush, far left. Hide Caption 9 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – The Bush family is a bona fide modern American political dynasty. Former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are the sons of former President George H.W. Bush. George P. Bush, Jeb's son, is a Texas land commissioner. George H.W. Bush is the son of Prescott Bush, a senator from Connecticut. Here, the former presidents and Jeb, right, pose for a photo at the christening of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. Hide Caption 10 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – George P. Bush speaks during the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. The grandson of former President George H.W. Bush is a Texas land commissioner. Hide Caption 11 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Former President Jimmy Carter spends time with his grandson Jason, wife Rosalynn, and daughter Amy in 1976. Jason Carter was a Democratic member of the Georgia State Senate. Hide Caption 12 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – John Adams was the second president of the United States. His son John Quincy Adams was the sixth President. Hide Caption 13 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – John Quincy Adams is pictured. Hide Caption 14 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and his sister, then-U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, are interviewed during a special edition of "Meet The Press" in New Orleans in 2010. Hide Caption 15 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, his wife Colleen, daughter Michelle, and his grandchildren walk the beach at Sea Island, Georgia, in 2007. Michelle Nunn was a Democratic candidate for Georgia's U.S. Senate seat in 2014. Hide Caption 16 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, and his cousin Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, attend a weekly Senate policy luncheon in Washington in 2012. Hide Caption 17 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Former Arkansas attorney general, Sen. Mark Pryor, holds a news conference in Washington in 2006. Pryor is the son of former U.S. Sen. David Pryor, D-Arkansas. Hide Caption 18 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Former U.S. Sen. David Pryor. Hide Caption 19 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – Father-and-son New York governors, Andrew, left, and Mario Cuomo appear at a rally in 2006. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is another of Mario Cuomo's sons. Hide Caption 20 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, is the daughter of late Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., a Baltimore mayor and congressman. D'Alesandro, center, attends Pelosi's swearing-in in 1978. Hide Caption 21 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – George W. Romney, with his son Mitt and his wife Lenore in 1962, announces his intention to run for governor of Michigan. The elder Romney went on to run for president in 1968, and his son Mitt served as governor of Massachusetts before winning the GOP nomination for president in 2012. Hide Caption 22 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – The Kennedy clan experienced a two-year absence on Capitol Hill beginning in 2011 with the departure of U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, shown here with his father, U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. The hiatus ended when U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, D-Massachusetts, was sworn in 2013. He is the son of former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy and the grandson of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy. Hide Caption 23 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – Then-Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tennessee, left, and his son, Harold Jr. shake hands with supporters in this 1996 photo. Harold Ford Sr. announced earlier that year that he was retiring from the seat he had held for 22 years and Harold Ford Jr. won the seat that fall. Hide Caption 24 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – Democratic New York state Sen. Jose M. Serrano is the son of U.S. Rep. Jose E. Serrano. Hide Caption 25 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Political families – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is the daughter of Frank Murkowski, who also represented Alaska in the Senate and was later the state's governor. Hide Caption 26 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – William Taft was the 27th president of the United States and served from 1909-1913. Since Taft's presidency, three of his relatives have represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate. Hide Caption 27 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Sen. Robert A. Taft is one of three Tafts to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate. Hide Caption 28 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Sen. Robert Taft Jr. attends a hearing in Washington in 1973. He is one of three Tafts to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate. Hide Caption 29 of 30 Photos: A look at political families Photos: Political families – Sen. Kingsley Taft is one of three Tafts to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate. Hide Caption 30 of 30

Though Jeb Bush's last name can be a negative when he travels abroad, given how disliked George Bush became in most of Europe, his campaign stops on this trip emphasize areas where there is public support for either his brother or his father.

Former President George H. W. Bush helped reunify Germany with the fall of the Soviet Union -- a fact son Jeb pointed out to applause during his speech in Berlin.

And George W. Bush stood fast with former Soviet states, proposing a missile defense shield in Poland as a means of deterring Iran, which Obama later scrapped.

Candidates often spend more time criticizing policies and decrying international villains than spelling out their own course of action. And while Jeb Bush has used tough rhetoric, his actions may prove different. Aron said the usual approach is for U.S. presidents to open their terms with a general policy of détente with Russian leaders before relations deteriorate.

He pointed to President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev as the model and Reagan's encounters with the Soviets early in his first term while they were fighting in Afghanistan as the exception. George W. Bush's ability to see Putin's soul? That fit into the pattern, too.

Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said that based on what Jeb Bush had said so far, Russians watching America would conclude that "Jeb has said the minimum that is now required in the West" so "he is generally sober."

That means he would potentially be welcomed as an alternative to the current man in the Oval Office. "'The U.S. will not turn into a friend if he is elected, but at least we will have a change of partner,'" Trenin said they would assess. "'We are so tired of Obama.'"