TIME magazine has reported on the relationship between US Vice President Kamala Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, describing it as less than warm.
The article focuses on Harris’s role in the US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, mainly her trip to Europe in February 2022, just before the Russian invasion began.
According to TIME, Harris met with Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference to convey the US stance on the impending invasion.
“The message she delivered was not entirely welcome, and the impression she made on the Ukrainians was mixed,” the report states.
At the time, Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister, told TIME that “Kamala Harris said the attack was unavoidable.” The article reports that Zelenskyy and Harris disagreed on the appropriate response to the threat. While Zelenskyy urged preemptive sanctions and increased weapons deliveries, Harris rejected both suggestions.
The magazine reports that Harris’s role in the Ukraine crisis has been largely supportive, with President Biden taking the lead. A White House official told TIME that “Vice President Harris has been a strong proponent of enduring US support for Ukraine and has repeatedly expressed an unwavering commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal aggression.”
However, the article suggests Harris’s relationship with Ukrainian officials has remained somewhat formal. TIME reports that one Ukrainian official described Harris’s sympathy as “formal sympathy, following protocol.”
Unlike other senior US officials, Harris has not visited Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began. During the recent peace summit in Switzerland, Harris represented the US instead of Biden, describing the meeting between Harris and Zelenskyy as “marked by some of the same formality as their previous engagements.”
Read also:
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- Zelenskyy invites Trump to Ukraine, says peace action plan to be revealed by November’s end
- Biden assures he will preserve coalition in support of Ukraine during speech
