American troops will have no choice but to fight Russian forces in Europe if Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is victorious in Ukraine, according to former US Vice President Mike Pence.
He expressed these concerns on Thursday, during an event in Brussels, as reported by Politico and Europa Pravda.
Potential NATO Involvement
Pence's statement is part of his urging for the US Congress to approve additional funding for military aid to Ukraine.
"Isolationism is never the answer to tyrannical regimes with expansionist intentions, and I believe most members of Congress understand that," Pence remarked.
He further noted, "If Putin wins in Ukraine, I have no doubt that the time will come when he crosses the border into Europe, and our men and women in military uniform will have to engage in combat."
"It won’t be long before he crosses the border and our forces will have to fight under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which states that an attack on one member of the Alliance is an attack on all," Pence added.
"Secondly, I think that we will soon see action in the Taiwan Strait or somewhere in the South China Sea," the former vice president continued.
Call for Support
Echoing sentiments formerly expressed by President Donald Trump, Pence criticized European NATO allies for not meeting the alliance's defense spending target of 2% of GDP. He argued that stronger military spending by European countries is essential for the collective defense and deterrence capabilities of the alliance.
CIA Director William Burns warned on Thursday that if the US Congress does not approve aid to Ukraine now, Kyiv may lose the war by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the final vote in Congress on draft laws regarding aid to Ukraine is expected to occur by the evening of Saturday, April 20.
