Kamala Harris refuses any one-on-one with Putin without Ukraine

08 October 2024 / Interviews

As part of the US presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris made a strong statement about how she would handle the conflict in Ukraine if she were to enter the White House. In an interview broadcast on October 7, 2024 on the American channel CBS, Harris assured that she would refuse to meet with Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, to discuss the war in Ukraine without the active participation of kyiv.

A clear position towards Russia

Kamala Harris, who is running as the Democratic candidate for the November 2024 presidential election, has made clear her support for Ukraine. According to her, a bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin without the presence of Ukrainian representatives would be unacceptable. “Ukraine must have a say in the future of Ukraine,” she insisted in her televised interview. If elected, Harris stressed that any discussion on ending the conflict in Ukraine must include kyiv as a key player in the negotiations.

This stance is in line with the United States' ongoing efforts to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion launched in February 2022. Since the start of this war, Washington has provided billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

In a departure from Republican rival Donald Trump, Harris did not mince her words. She criticized Trump’s foreign policy, saying that if he were president, “Putin would be sitting in kyiv right now.” Harris was particularly skeptical of Trump’s repeated claims that he would end the war “on day one” of his return to office. “This is a sellout,” she added, insisting that Trump has never concretely explained how he would end the war in Ukraine, casting doubt on his real intentions.

Trump has, indeed, often boasted of his good relations with Putin and claimed that he would have avoided or stopped the conflict in Ukraine had he remained president. However, his critics say such an approach could further favor Russia at the expense of Ukraine.

A context of prolonged war

Kamala Harris' statement comes as the conflict in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than two and a half years, continues to wreak havoc. On October 7, 2024, a 60-year-old man was killed in a Russian missile attack on the port of Odessa, also hitting a civilian ship and injuring several foreign nationals. The clashes continue, and international sanctions against Russia have failed to curb its military actions in the country.

Moreover, the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine remains critical. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who counts on constant international support, has repeatedly reaffirmed that the future of his country cannot be discussed without the participation of his government, a position now supported by Kamala Harris.

A turning point in American foreign policy?

Harris' campaign, which seeks to succeed President Joe Biden, is betting on a more assertive foreign policy toward Russia. By actively supporting Ukraine and conditioning any dialogue with Russia on kyiv's participation, Harris wants to position herself as the guarantor of democratic values ​​and the sovereignty of nations in the face of authoritarian regimes.

The strategy could also strengthen its relationships with European allies and NATO, which share similar concerns about security in Eastern Europe. If elected, however, Harris will have to juggle domestic and international challenges while maintaining this hard line against Moscow.

Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine continues to divide public opinion in the United States, and how each candidate plans to end it could prove decisive in the November 2024 election.