Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, was scheduled to deliver a highly anticipated speech to the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. She warned Russia that it would face enormous financial consequences if it invades Ukraine again. While underscoring the fact that an invasion will only bring European allies closer together with the United States, Harris also stated that Russia will be facing huge financial penalties if it continues to invade Ukraine.
She addresses the annual conference one day after President Joe Biden stated that he was “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin made the decision to invade.
According to a senior administration official, Harris’ diplomatic efforts in Munich were briefed by reporters and the vice president tried to convince a predominantly European audience that the West is strong through unity. An invasion could lead to even more NATO presence on Russia’s doorsteps.
Harris declared Friday that “our greatest strength” was our unity as she met with leaders from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the conference. The Baltic countries requested that the U.S. increases its troop presence at the NATO’s eastern edge. “This moment has proven that our unity is evidence, and is a measure our strength.
Harris is also reaching out to European allies as well as Americans at home. He has a message for Putin: Either you step back from the brink of war, or you will be subject to the harshest sanctions ever imposed against Russia. As the crisis grows more complex, Biden and other administration officials are warning that diplomacy’s window is closing.
Biden told reporters on Friday that he believes Putin is planning to invade the country in the next few days. He could take military action that would extend beyond the Donbas dispute and include Kyiv’s capital.
Harris made a last-inning push to Putin for a pullback, and she was determined to attack the argument that the U.S. would emerge stronger from a conflict than Russia, a Biden administration official stated.
Harris tried to rally supporters before the speech.
The vice president met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday. She also briefed a bipartisan panel of U.S. legislators about the changing situation.
Harris was due to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zeleskyy after her speech on Saturday.
When Biden was asked Friday about Zelenskyy’s wisdom leaving Ukraine in order to attend the Munich conference, Biden declined. This is at a time when the Biden administration warns that an invasion could be imminent.
Biden spoke out about Zelenskyy, “That’s a judgement for him to make.”
In recent years, both U.S. leaders and Russian leaders have used the Munich gathering to convey key messages to an important audience.
In 2019, Mike Pence, then-Vice President, presented President Donald Trump’s “America First” worldview to a mostly European audience. He received a muted response. Biden addressed the conference as a senator, president, and private citizen.
Last year’s conference was held almost entirely due to the coronavirus epidemic pandemic. The new president Biden declared that America had “America’s back” and addressed economic and security concerns posed by Russia and China.
Putin made a controversial statement against NATO fifteen years ago in Munich. He accused the alliance of placing “its frontline troops on our borders”. Putin is now encircling Ukraine with Russian forces and demanding that the U.S., along with other NATO countries, guarantee that Ukraine, long an aspirant to join the alliance, will not be allowed entry.
GOP detractors didn’t miss Harris’ chance to show her foreign policy skills.
“Putin responds to strength and is a bully,” said Nikki Haley. “Sending VP Harris to Europe for speeches and meetings will only amuse him,” tweeted Nikki Haley. She was Trump’s U.N ambassador and could be a 2024 presidential candidate.
Harris was clear-eyed ahead of Harris’ speech about her task to rally allies
Harris stated that she understood that this was a moment of great change. The work we do on a daily and sometimes hourly basis to strengthen our relationship and to check in on our strategic imperative is crucial and it’s why I’m here.
