U.S. Rep. Jason Crow said Monday that the U.S. must provide more support to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion enters a new phase and framed the conflict as a test of American resolve to stand up to “dictators and autocrats.”

Speaking from Washington with reporters after returning from a recent trip to Poland, Romania and Slovakia with fellow members of the House Intelligence Committee, the Centennial Democrat warned against expecting a quick resolution to the nearly eight-week-old war and suggested the U.S. should gird for the long run.

“What’s really clear is that this is going to be a long-term conflict,” he said. “This isn’t going to be weeks. I don’t think this is going to be in months. I think we’re looking at a longer-term conflict that’s going to require consistent, kind of built-in funding over time.”

Crow said he was struck by the “sheer brutality of Vladimir Putin’s unjustified, illegal invasion of Ukraine,” including “thousands upon thousands who are being brutally murdered by the Russian military and by Vladimir Putin’s forces, and the displacement and sheer volume of the refugee crisis.”

Not since World War II, he said, has Europe seen so many people forced from their homes so quickly, with an estimated 10 million Ukrainians – including 80% of the country’s children – displaced in a matter of weeks, amounting to roughly one-quarter of Ukraine’s population.

“The brutality of this war is astonishing,” Crow said. “And I will say, I was incredibly impressed by the manner in which Europe – in particular, Poland – has responded to this. The Polish people have opened their hearts, they have opened their doors, they have welcomed in these refugees without question.”

Crow said he concluded during the delegation’s visit to NATO allies that the alliance has been strengthened, citing renewed cooperation, increased defense spending by member countries and a possible expansion to include Finland and Sweden.

“So, really, an unbelievable story about the invigoration of that alliance, the importance of the transatlantic partnership, and the manner in which the United States and the Biden administration has really led the way with sanctions, with emboldening NATO, with intelligence declassification, and stepping up the plate with both humanitarian support and military and defense support to make sure that we can meet the refugee crisis, but also help Ukrainians fight and survive.”

Crow said the Ukrainians have “shown fierce, fierce heart in this fight, and a willingness to fight and die and do everything possible to defend their homes and their homeland and their fellow Ukrainians,” but without increased military support from the United States, “it will be hard for them to meet the Russian onslaught.”

Putin, Crow said, is “committed to pressing this war and attempting to still win” as Russian forces on Monday opened a ferocious assault on eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.

“We have to make sure we’re meeting that, that we’re rising up to meet the need of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, our Ukrainian partners, and helping them win, because this isn’t just about Ukrainian survival, this is about democracy versus autocracy – and I firmly believe that, we are in a position of fighting for democracy and freedom right now in Europe and throughout the world.”

As authoritarian regimes attempt to return to what he called a “new era of destabilization” by attempting to take over territory by force, Crow said the U.S. “cannot allow that, we cannot tolerate that.”

Said Crow: “And that is the test that we’re up against right now, that’s why we have to rise to meet that moment. And I’m going to be working with the Biden administration to make sure that we are providing the weapons and equipment that we need for the next phase of this war.”

Crow said he’s optimistic that Ukraine’s neighbors will soon begin transferring Soviet-era fighter jets to bolster the country’s air force, a move he’s been calling on the Biden administration to support by replacing them with F-16s and other U.S. fighter jets.

“I think this is a win-win, frankly, because I think it allows us to facilitate a transfer into Ukraine – valuable military equipment and hardware that Ukrainians can use – at the same time, assist in the modernization of our NATO partners … as they look to try to invest in next-generation fighters.”

An Army Ranger veteran, Crow said he met with members of the 82nd Airborne Division in Poland and noted that he began his military service with the unit during the Iraq War.

“Once a paratrooper, always a paratrooper,” he said. “So it was great to see these young men and women who are serving us overseas, who have been deployed in the last month to actually reinforce the eastern flank of Europe as a show of force, as a show of resolve, but also to engage in immediate assistance as well, to help with provision of equipment, to help with air defense through the establishment of Patriot missile batteries, and other important critical tasks.”

Crow said he visited with several Coloradans stationed in Poland, adding, “And I have to say that Colorado should be very proud of our fellow Coloradans who are serving in the active-duty military and doing so with great distinction.”