Harris And Zelenskyy Meet To Discuss Looming Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Saturday at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany to discuss the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

‘We Will Impose Swift And Severe Economic Sanctions’

According to a transcript of their remarks, Harris said that, “As I have said earlier today to our allies around the world, the United States take seriously the importance of the integrity and the territorial integrity of Ukraine and your sovereignty. And the United States stands with Ukraine in this regard.

“If Russia further invades your country...we will impose swift and severe economic sanctions. We have been clear about that. We are also clear that we would prefer that this would be resolved in a diplomatic way, and we have remained open to a diplomatic path to resolution.”

‘We Clearly Understand What Is Going On’

 Zelenskyy told Harris that, “We do clearly understand what is going on. This is our land, and the only thing we want is to have peace, bring the peace back to our country.

“And in this case, we are very grateful to the United States, to you personally, to our strategic partners, and President Biden. We have had many meetings with the congressmen and Senate members. And we are grateful for the bipartisan support of the United States.

‘We Need Specific Steps’

He noted that, “Today, we do need specific steps, specific support. We are getting support from you in supporting our defense capacity, our army. This is something we are prepared to discuss and continue this dialogue because this is something that we are very interested in.

“In any case, we believe in our own strengths and force, the support of our partners, our army,” Zelenskyy said.

Concerns About Attending Conference

There had been speculation about whether Zelenskyy would attend the conference.

CNN reported on Friday that, “Biden administration officials have privately urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to leave Ukraine and visit Munich on Saturday given concerns about a possible incursion from Russia, according to three U.S. officials and one senior Ukrainian official.

“Some U.S. officials are concerned that him leaving the country could open the door for Russia to make false claims that he has fled. While officials haven't explicitly asked Zelensky not to make the trip — and have been careful to make it clear that it's up to him — those concerns have been communicated, one of the officials said.”

‘The Stakes Could Not Be Higher’

Former ambassador Sarah Mendelson is an expert on Russia and the head of Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College in Washington, D.C. She observed yesterday that Zelenskyy had “to weigh the benefit of being in person with the Vice President. The mayor of Kyiv is there and spoke compellingly today about the need for support. 

“Conference-goers ought to hear also from Zelensky, but he shouldn’t be down playing the situation, which he has done on occasion. The risk is that Putin takes his leaving the country as the moment to invade. The stakes could not be higher,’’ she concluded.