U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has released a warning for Russia on Saturday that it will face “unprecedented” financial costs if it invades Ukraine and predicts that such an attack would get allies of Europe close to the US.
While speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany the day after President Joe Biden, Kamala Harris said he’s “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade the neighbouring nation.
Harris added, “Let me be clear, can say with absolute certainty: if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States, together with our allies & partners, will impose major, and unprecedented economic.”
The vice president is aiming to make the case to a largely European audience that the West has “strength through unity” and that an invasion would likely lead to an even bigger NATO footprint on Russia’s doorsteps.
Russia has takeover Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014 & pro-Russia separatists have been batting Ukrainian forces in the country’s east for over 8 years. The U.S. & the European Union previously sanctioned Russia over its seizure of Crimea.
Western is frightening of an invasion have escalated in recent months as Russia deployed over 150,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders.
Harris added that the Biden administration and its allies had sought to engage with Moscow in good faith to find a diplomatic resolution but was not met by the Kremlin in good faith.
Harris further said that, “Russia continues to say it is ready to talk while at the same time it narrows the avenues for diplomacy. Their actions simply are not matching their own words.”
Harris has given credit European allies for speaking with a largely unified voice as the Ukraine crisis. The vice president added Republicans & Democrats in Washington who rarely agree on many major issues- have largely reached the same page on the necessity of confronting Putin.
Harris said, “We came together & are now speaking with a unified voice.”