War in Ukraine "would be a quagmire," British official says
CBSN
A top British official said his country has seen no sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to deescalate growing tensions over Ukraine, even as Russia has insisted that it doesn't want a war. James Cleverly, Britain's minister of state for Europe, warned that there will be a "huge loss of life" for both the people of Ukraine and Russia if there is an invasion.
"Sadly, we are not seeing any of the things that we would want to see. We're not hearing any of the things that we would want to hear," Cleverly told "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
"We are trying to make sure that if the Russian generals aren't being honest with Vladimir Putin, we're being honest with Vladimir Putin," he said. "If he's getting messages from the frontline that this will be quick and easy, we're giving him a more truthful message that this will be long, drawn out and painful."
