US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has ruled out talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to settle the Ukraine conflict, unless Kiev also participates in the process.
In an interview with CBS on Monday, Harris was asked whether she would be willing to meet with the Russian leader to achieve peace in the conflict that has lasted nearly three years. “Not bilaterally without Ukraine, no. Ukraine must have a say in the future of Ukraine,” she said.
Pressed on whether she would support fulfilling Ukraine’s longstanding request to join NATO, she did not give a direct answer, saying it was an issue “we will deal with if and when it arrives at that point,” adding “Right now, we are supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked aggression.”
Harris went on to take a jab at her Republican rival Donald Trump on the issue, saying that “if he were president, Putin would be sitting in Kiev right now.”
Trump has repeatedly vowed to end the fighting within 24 hours if elected president, even before being sworn into office. While he has provided few details, his running mate J.D. Vance has said that a potential peace deal could involve barring Ukraine from joining NATO and establishing a “demilitarized zone” along the current front line.
Harris, however, dismissed Trump’s promise. “He talks about, oh, he can end it on day one. You know what that is? It’s about surrender,” she said.
The administration of US President Joe Biden, in which Harris now serves as vice president, has publicly adhered to the principle “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has charged that the West is essentially forbidding Kiev from holding talks with Moscow, seeing Ukraine as a useful tool in the standoff with Russia.
In June, Putin said that Russia was ready to immediately declare a ceasefire and start peace negotiations as soon as Ukraine starts withdrawing troops from Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and ditches its plans to join NATO. Later, however, he ruled out any talks as long as Ukrainian troops are occupying part of Kursk Region as well.
For his part, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has refused any “bargaining” with Russia over the four former territories, and maintained that he is certain Kiev will one day join the US-led military bloc.