U.S. could allow for American troop deployment to Ukraine - Democratic House leader Jeffries

Should Russia succeed in its war on Ukraine, the United States will likely have to intervene with more than just money - but also with troops, said U.S. Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries.

"We cannot allow Ukraine to fall, because if it does, there is a significant possibility that America will have to intervene in the conflict — not just with our money, but with our troops," he told CBS News.

Read also: US expects Ukraine to withstand Russia’s May offensive — report

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is trying to restore the Soviet Union to threaten NATO countries, he said.

First, the aggressor country Russia invaded Georgia, and then annexed Ukraine's Crimea, he said.

“Are we to believe that in the face of this kind of consistent aggression, that if we allow Vladimir Putin to succeed in Ukraine, he will stop only in Ukraine?", Jeffries asked.

"Of course not!"

Read also: Ukrainian forces ready for Russian summer offensive – Sullivan

A pro-Putin faction is growing in the Republican Party, which does not want to support Ukraine and for some reason believes that Russia is not an enemy of the United States, he added.

He noted that Marjorie Taylor Green is the head of support for Russia in the United States.

Possible NATO troop deployment to Ukraine

Ukraine's Western allies will create a coalition to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with long-range weapons, and the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine in the future cannot be ruled out, French President Emmanuel Macron said after a conference in support of Ukraine held in Paris on February 26.

Read also: Macron considers troop deployment if Russia breaches Ukraine's front

Several NATO countries publicly rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine in response to Macron's statements, including Poland, the USA, Germany, Czechia, Canada, and Great Britain.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaia Kallas and Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas kept open the possibility of troop deployment.

Anusauskas clarified that he was only speaking about training missions.

"All options should be left open,"  the Netherlands' General Staff Chief, General Onno Eichelsheim, said.

European NATO members had been studying the possibility of sending Alliance troops to Ukraine for weeks, AFP reported, citing a source.

French troops can participate in the war on the side of Ukraine to protect certain borders, participate in exercises, or for ground air defense, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on February 29. He ruled out the participation of French soldiers in battles "directly on the front line."

NATO members' foreign ministers agreed on the creation of a NATO special mission to increase support for Ukraine, Poland's Foreign Affairs Minister, Radosław Sikorski, said on April 4.

Read also: 3 in 4 Poles against sending troops to Ukraine, though 40% believe NATO’s approach ‘too cautious’

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine