Fox News’ Bill Hemmer crossed a conservative boundary Tuesday by asking Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) if it was necessary to “suck up to” Russian President Vladimir Putin to forge peace with Ukraine. (Watch the video below.)

Hemmer set up his showstopper of a query by noting that the U.S. sided with North Korea, Russia and Belarus to oppose a UN resolution that condemned Russia for its war on Ukraine.

Hagerty said President Donald Trump was trying to get a truce done instead of “just continuing the Joe Biden process of sticking a stick in Russia’s eye” that’s also been employed by European countries.

“President Trump is trying to make something happen here, not just go back to talking points that haven’t worked in the past,” the senator continued.

“One more question on that,” Hemmer pushed. “Trump said, ‘I would rather not explain it now, but it’s sort of self-evident’? Should it be self-evident that you have to suck up to Putin in order to get him to the table and keep him there?”

Hemmer held his breath momentarily before the “suck-up” part, suggesting he knew he was toeing a line on the right-wing channel.

“I wouldn’t put it in terms of sucking up to Putin,” Hagerty answered. “What I would say is that the president is actually trying to shift the conversation.”

Trump has echoed his false claims that Ukraine is at fault for Russia’s brutal long-term invasion and has laughably characterized Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator.” He also kept Zelenskyy out of peace talks with Russia recently.

Republican lawmakers have been extremely careful to avoid a rebuke of Trump and his Putin-sympathizing policy.

But for a moment anyway, one Fox News host called out the elephant in the room straight to one Republican senator’s face.

Fast forward to 17:05 for Hemmer’s confrontational question: