Democratic Senator and Biden confidant and member of the Committee on Foreign Relations in the US Congress Chris Coons said that he does not support the deployment of US forces in Ukraine In the event of Russia’s invasion of the ex-Soviet state, saying, “We will simply sacrifice them.”
“I would not support sending American troops to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion, because frankly I think we would simply sacrifice them,” he added. He added, according to the American newspaper The Hill, “I think that the Russians will escalate significantly if American forces are sent.”
“I think we should provide as much support as possible from our NATO allies that are directly adjacent to Ukraine,” he said.
He added that he was looking at bipartisan legislation that would “provide material support to Ukraine,” adding that it was something the Biden administration was working on.
Coons said the Senate needs to move quickly to come up with proposals on sanctions and “costs to Russia,” adding that they need to be passed and signed off by the president quickly.
The senator also defended the president after he made comments earlier this week during a nearly two-hour press conference that appeared to indicate that Russia would not face serious consequences if it engaged in a “minimal incursion” against Ukraine.
He added: “What I think he was referring to is that there is a disagreement with some of our allies about the small actions of Russia, which is an act of war.”
More than 127,000 soldiers mobilized
Russia, for its part, has amassed a large military force on the border with Ukraine, an indication that it may try to invade former Soviet territory.
An intelligence assessment of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry published by CNN earlier this week said more than 127,000 troops were mobilized in the region.
US officials warned of the possibility of an invasion, but said they believed diplomatic efforts should be made first to calm the situation. Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken met with Russian officials in Europe to discuss the situation this week.
Biden himself said he would not send US troops to Ukraine. In December 2021, he said: “We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our NATO allies if they are going to attack under Article 5. This is a sacred obligation…but this obligation does not extend to Ukraine.”