Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to the Munich Safety Convention later this week, as the specter of a Russian invasion of Ukraine nonetheless looms, and U.S. officers say the Russian army presence on the border of Ukraine has elevated by as many as 7,000 troops. Russia has claimed that it's pulling again troops as a result of its army workout routines have concluded.
On Saturday, Harris will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and likewise individually with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, based on senior administration officers. This would be the first engagement between Harris and Zelensky. The vice chairman can also be going to be assembly with the Baltic state leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and with NATO Secretary Normal Jens Stoltenberg
"We're in a really decisive second," a senior administration official mentioned on a name with reporters Wednesday night time. "The vice chairman is main the U.S. delegation to the Munich Safety Convention this yr as a powerful sign that engagement with our companions and allies is a completely vital a part of our total diplomacy and our strategy to this example."
Harris departs for Munich Thursday, and the convention is scheduled to happen from February 18-20. The State Division introduced Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken may also be attending, amid severely strained tensions between the U.S. and Russia. A senior administration official mentioned Blinken's late addition to the U.S. delegation "underscores the significance of this gathering."
Russia isn't sending a consultant to the annual convention.
The journey might be a serious take a look at for Harris, whose overseas coverage expertise has been restricted. She's going to ship a speech Saturday as a proper a part of the convention, the place she is predicted to handle the scenario at Ukraine's border and the specter of Russian aggression. The convention is a discussion board the place Harris may also be capable to interact with a number of dozen different world leaders, past those she is scheduled to formally meet.