Vice President Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Saturday at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday morning to discuss aggression from Russia and how the US and its allies would respond.
Andrew Harnik / AP
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Andrew Harnik / AP
Vice President Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Saturday at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday morning to discuss aggression from Russia and how the US and its allies would respond.
Andrew Harnik / AP
Vice President Harris on Saturday assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United States takes Russia’s threats to Ukraine seriously and that economic sanctions against Moscow will be “swift and severe” should Russia invade. Ukraine strategy.
The two leaders met at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, as the threat of aggression from Russia continued to grow.
“The United States attaches great importance to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and your sovereignty,” Harris told Zelenskyy before their meeting. “If Russia continues to invade your country, as I mentioned earlier today, we will impose swift and severe economic sanctions.”
Harris also emphasized that the US prefers a diplomatic solution. Zelenskyy agreed, saying that “the only thing we want is peace, bring peace back to our country.”
Zelenskyy specifically mentioned US support for Ukraine’s military and said the aid was not just for his country, but “we are defending Europe.” He said he looked forward to talking more with Harris about military assistance and economic sanctions against Russia.
In a speech at the conference earlier on Saturday, Harris said that Russia’s actions “didn’t match its word” when it came to resolving the conflict diplomatically, adding that the United States and Allies remain ready to respond if Russia chooses to invade Ukraine.
“We will target financial institutions and key Russian industries. And we will target accomplices and people who abet and abet this gratuitous aggression. ” said Mr Harris.
“Make no mistake: Imposing these integrated and coordinated measures will cause great harm to those responsible. And we won’t stop with economic measures,” she said. will further strengthen its NATO allies on the eastern flank,” she said.
At the border, tensions remain high. During the night, a Ukrainian soldier was killed in the Donetsk region, marking the first casualty since January. He died from a shrapnel in the head.
And Russian-led forces opened fire on a checkpoint in the Luhansk region, where a humanitarian aid convoy from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was moving from temporarily disallowed territory. control, according to the Army Commander-in-Chief. Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Valeriy Zaluzhniy.
Franco Ordoñez of NPR contributed to this report.
