Rogers: Russian troops not on ‘sightseeing tour’

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) on Sunday disagreed with the Obama administration’s refusal to call Russia’s military action in Ukraine an invasion.

“I don’t think they’re there on a sightseeing tour,” Rogers, speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” said of Russia’s incursions into Ukraine.

{mosads}“It’s hard to argue that Russian troops with Russian armor crossing the border into Ukraine doesn’t fit the definition of an invasion,” he said.

Rogers’s comments match those of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that Russia is clearly carrying out an invasion.

Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his game militarily in Ukraine to assist Russia-backed rebels in the country, who Rogers believes needed help to hold ground.

The Michigan Republican also criticized the Obama administration for not flatly calling Russia’s actions an invasion.

“If the world perceives that the United States does not have a consistent foreign policy of saying what it means and meaning what it says, you’re going to see more of this pressure,” he said.

“That’s why the Chinese are engaging our pilots in a very dangerous way in international waters, that’s why Russians are upping their game, that’s why [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] is conducting the business that it is.”

Rogers told host Chris Wallace that the fighting in Ukraine shows that the administration’s unwritten “don’t do stupid stuff” foreign policy mantra isn’t working.