A top Republican member of the House Intelligence Commission said the United States would have to be involved if NATO members were attacked after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The United States should not be directly involved, but “we play a very important role here,” said Rep. Mike Turner, Republican Ohio.
“What we are seeing is Russia [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s leadership has invaded effectively elected democracy, an independent state and violated international law, “Turner said. Said Friday Fox News. “This is a threat to Europe, a threat to NATO’s allies, and therefore to the United States.”
Putin’s attack on Thursday is the second time Russia has invaded Ukraine in about eight years. Previously, Putin was licensed by the Obama administration when he annexed Crimean in 2014.
“His goal is to reintegrate the geographical territory of the Soviet Union and we should openly believe in him,” said a Russian leader, “in violation of international law.” With weapons of mass destruction whenever there are leaders of countries that openly threaten the world, we are entering a very difficult and very dangerous time. “
Turner further argued that Putin was bold about the “weakness” of the Biden administration when the United States withdrew from Afghanistan and the recent “mixed message to Ukraine itself.”
In a speech Thursday, President Joe Biden said he would impose new sanctions on Russia in response to the aggression.
Regarding Putin, Biden told reporters: And we do. “
The White House’s National Security Adviser, Dareep Singh, emphasized on Thursday that the Biden administration will focus on close coordination with its allies and avoid even the perception that it will hurt ordinary Russian citizens when implementing sanctions. did. He did not approve Biden’s separation of Russians from SWIFT or provide details of the situation in which Putin could be targeted directly.
“When we think about which sanctions to apply, we don’t push cowboys or cowgirls to impose costs,” Shin said. “We follow a set of principles. We hope that sanctions will be influential enough to show our determination and the ability to provide Russia with overwhelming costs. is.”
Russian troops were seen inside parts of Kiev on Friday, as local authorities emphasized that Moscow could attempt to attack the capital late Friday night or early Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jack Phillips is the latest news reporter for The Epoch Times, based in New York.