Harris’ trip will run from Wednesday to March 11 and will include stops in Warsaw and Bucharest, according to a White House statement Friday. She will meet with leaders of the two countries to coordinate their response to the Russian invasion and discuss how the United States can further support Ukraine’s neighboring nations as it prepares to welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict.
The White House said the leaders would also “discuss their continued support for the people of Ukraine through security, economic and humanitarian aid and our determination to impose severe economic consequences on Russia and those involved in the Russian invasion.”
“Her visit will demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance and the US support for NATO’s allies on the eastern flank in the face of Russian aggression. It will also underscore our collective efforts to support the people of Ukraine, “the White House said in a statement.
The visit to Eastern Europe will take place after Harris’ last international trip to the Munich Security Conference, where she met with US allies and partners, including Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Harris also spoke by phone with several Eastern European leaders on Tuesday, including Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Chuka. The Hill was the first to announce discussions about sending Harris to Poland and Romania. The United States and other Western officials warned this week that Russia’s strategy was shifting to the “slow destruction” of the Ukrainian military, warning that Russia could focus on forcible bombing of cities and civilian targets as the conflict turns into a war. of exhaustion. Since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the United States and its allies have stepped up their response to the conflict by imposing various economic sanctions and providing aid to Ukraine.
More than 500 missiles have been fired by the Russian military since the invasion began, a senior US defense official said on Friday.
A White House statement after Tuesday’s call said in each of his talks, “the Vice President emphasizes the strength and unity of our Alliance and welcomes the leadership and coordination of each of his colleagues on sound responses, including sanctions and other economic measures through the European Union. They also discussed NATO’s strong response. ”
Harris also reaffirmed US support for Ukraine and “reaffirmed US support for international rules and norms that brought peace and security to post-World War II Europe and served as the basis of the NATO Alliance.”
This story and title were updated with further developments on Friday.