Washington: Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting Ukraine on Thursday, delivering her remarks alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House. In a pointed comment directed at her electoral opponent, former President Donald Trump, Harris criticized those advocating for territorial concessions in exchange for peace with Russia, labeling such proposals as “proposals of surrender”.
The Democratic candidate for president emphasized her determination to ensure Ukraine prevails in the ongoing war, which has now entered its third year. Harris’s comments came shortly after Trump publicly chastised Zelenskiy for allegedly failing to negotiate a peace deal with Russia that could have brought an end to the conflict.
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Harris highlighted the dangerous implications of pushing Ukraine to relinquish its land, stating, “There are some in the United States who would force Ukraine to give up large parts of its territory and abandon its security relationships with other nations.” She added, “These proposals are the same as those of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.”
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In response, Trump remarked that U.S. financial assistance to Ukraine is a waste of taxpayer money and expressed uncertainty about whether he supports Ukraine’s victory. This week, he criticized Zelenskiy, stating, “We give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal: Zelenskiy,” and claimed, “There was no deal that he could have made that wouldn’t have been better than the situation you have right now. You have a country that has been obliterated.”
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While Trump is set to meet with Zelenskiy on Friday morning at Trump Tower in New York, the two leaders have not engaged in a face-to-face discussion since Trump’s presidential term concluded in 2021.
