Rep. Adam Schiff says it appears to be ‘very likely’ that Russia will invade Ukraine

• Rep. Adam Schiff said it seems “very likely” that Russia will invade Ukraine, possibly prompting US sanctions. 
• President Joe Biden has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against invading Ukraine, saying the US will respond.
• Putin told Biden that sanctions over Ukraine could mean a total rupture in US-Russia relations.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff warned Sunday that economic sanctions may be the strongest deterrent against a “very likely” Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I think it would require enormous sanctions on Russia to deter what appears to be a very likely Russian invasion of Ukraine again,” Schiff told Margaret Brennan of CBS News. “I think our allies need to be solidly on board with it. Russia needs to understand that we are united in this.”

—Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 2, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with President Joe Biden last week, warning Biden that US sanctions “could lead to a complete breakdown in ties between our countries.” 

Biden has urged Putin to ease tensions with Ukraine, promising that the United States will respond if there is an invasion. 

Schiff added on Sunday that an invasion would prompt increased NATO activity in the area. NATO operations in countries that border Russia have long frustrated Putin, prompting him to demand that NATO leave eastern Europe altogether.

“I also think that a powerful deterrent is the understanding that if they do invade, it is going to bring NATO closer to Russia, not push it farther away. That we will move more NATO assets closer to Russia, that it will have the opposite impact of what Putin is trying to achieve,” Schiff said.