Lawmakers emerge from Russia-Ukraine briefings bracing for invasion
By Jordan Williams,Rebecca Beitsch and Mike Lillis - 02/03/22 06:31 PM EST
Lawmakers left classified briefings on Russia-Ukraine tensions Thursday warning of the potential for an imminent invasion by Moscow, as the U.S. weighs how to respond to an escalating situation that threatens to destabilize Europe.
Both the House and Senate were given classified briefings led by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the ongoing tensions between the two nations as the Biden administration coordinates with allies to confront the threat of an invasion.
“This is the most significant threat in Europe since 1945. It's just that simple,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told reporters after exiting the briefing, calling a Russian invasion a “near certainty.”
“If we now live in an era where someone can move into a country and just take it over and claim it as their own, I don't think it's going to stop at Ukraine,” he continued. “I think you'll see this in Asia. I think you'll see that potentially in other countries in Europe, many of whom complained that some treaty 100 years ago screwed them — and we're going to be living in a very different era.”
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/592774-lawmakers-emerge-from-confidential-briefings-bracing-for-russian-invasion
