CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Should the U.S. military be getting involved in the Russian-Ukraine conflict? Many U.S. lawmakers are being asked that question.
U.S. intelligence says tens of thousands of Russian troops are massed near the Ukraine border ready for a broader invasion, beyond two independent regions where they are now. At the same time, Ukraine has called up more than 36,000 military reserves.
President Biden and European allies have agreed on economic sanctions that essentially shut down the Nord-Stream-2 energy pipeline from Russia. And even though more than 3,000 U.U. troops are gathering with NATO allies, Senator Shelley Moore Capito says this should not be a combat mission.
“You see strong sanctions coming forward. I wish the President had listened to us in Congress and put these sanctions on earlier. They might have had more of an effect earlier. But, we’re going to be very aggressive, but it’s not going to include putting men and women in harm’s way in a land war,” said Senator Shelley Moore Capito, (R) West Virginia.
Senator Capito does say Americans should expect to see higher prices at the gas pump and on natural gas heating bills, because of the sanctions. She said the U.S. could have avoided that by relying more on domestic fuel sources, but President Biden shut down the construction of key pipelines.