Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Sunday he believes the U.S. is engaged in a new Cold War with Russia.
Why it matters: McCaul's comments on CNN's "State of the Union" come days after diplomatic talks among the United States, European allies and Russia hit a dead end, increasing fears of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, the U.S. accused Russia of planning a false-flag operation that would lay the groundwork for a pretext upon which to invade.
What they're saying: McCaul said he would like to see more deterrence from the U.S. in its dealings with Russia.
"I'm seeing some tough rhetoric but not a lot of action," he said, adding that "you have to put things on the table like sanctions, you have to talk about more arms sales, weapons sales to Ukraine."
"Rather than threatening after an invasion takes place, we ought to be providing deterrents before an invasion takes place," he said.
Asked by host Jake Tapper if he believes the U.S. is engaged in a new Cold War against Russia, McCaul responded, "I do. I do, because I think Putin again smells weakness here."
The bottom line: "This would be the largest invasion in Europe since World War II. That's how big of a deal this is."
