Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine is presenting a “showdown” centering at least in part on the strength of the United States.

“This is a real showdown on the international stage of our American strength, and Putin (Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin) is testing our President and his resolve,” she said during a virtual press conference from her Washington office Thursday.

Capito said Pres. Joe Biden believes the invasion is “imminent” and will occur in the next several days. More than 100,000 Russian troops have amassed around the north (in Belarus) and western borders of Ukraine as well as in Crimea to the south.

“I have been very supportive of strict sanctions on Russia,” she said, referring to attempts to prevent the invasion, and that includes stopping the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia that can bring needed gas to Europe. The pipeline is waiting on regulatory approval.

But it remains questionable if any sanctions will work and she said if Putin has the “will” to invade then that is what he will do.

“Putin is anxious to recapture Ukraine as part of Russia,” she said of the breakup of the former USSR that left several countries, like Ukraine, independent entities.

Capito also said Putin does not want Ukraine to be a part of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). About 30 NATO nations pledge to help defend each other in any conflict.

Ukraine also offers strong economic assets, she said, including a “lot of agriculture. It is a fertile area and prosperous.”

If the invasion happens, however, U.S. troops will not be used as “boots on the ground,” she said.

“I think that military intervention on our part would not be supported by the American people” and there is “no intention to actually be involved in hand-to-hand combat situations.”

But the U.S. will help with defenses, including supplying weapons and expertise as well as money.

Capito has urged Pres. Joe Biden to use more severe sanctions than on the table now to pressure Putin, including scrapping the Nord Stream 2 pipeline now rather than waiting.

Biden has said the pipeline will be stopped if the invasion occurs.

“If they move in that direction, we will put an end to Nord Stream,” she said.

Capito said American dollars and economic power are coming to play in sanctions.

“Our strength is our dollar … our economy, that we need to play to,” she said, taking away the ability of Russia to access any kind of benefit through financial systems to enhance themselves and that includes a move to “clamp down” on Putin’s friends who have a lot of money in Russia.

The U.S. should continue to help lead a coalition of European countries to band together on sanctions, she said, but expressing questions about Germany’s involvement because of that country’s dependence on Russian natural gas.

She called Germany the “weakest link” because the nation closed down its nuclear and some coal-fired plants to switch to natural gas, which is why they need the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

“We are working with our partners,” she said. “Everybody relies on the U.S. That shows our power ... But we don’t want to do it all ourselves.”

But all of their support is needed and Capito pointed out that several European leaders have met with Putin in an attempt at diplomacy, including French Pres. Emmanuel Macron.

According to media reports, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that “everything must be done” to prevent potential Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Poland was occupied by the USSR after World War II until 1989.

Capito said about 7,000 U.S. troops are now in Europe, many in Poland, which borders Ukraine to the northwest, and other neighboring countries. Military equipment has also been deployed.

Poland has said it is preparing for Ukrainian refugees if the invasion occurs.