Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said in an interview aired on Oct. 7 that if she is elected, she would refuse to engage in peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin without Ukraine’s involvement.
"Not bilaterally without Ukraine, no. Ukraine must have a say in the future of Ukraine," Harris told CBS's "60 Minutes" when asked if she would consider negotiating one-on-one with Putin to end the war.
The Biden administration has similarly ruled out discussions with Putin, and Harris criticized former President Donald Trump’s approach to the Ukraine crisis, calling his policies a surrender to Russia’s invasion.
"Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now. He talks about, 'Oh, he can end it on day one.' You know what that is? It's about surrender," she added.
Harris also commented on Ukraine's potential NATO membership, saying she would address the issue "if and when it arrives at that point."
"Right now, we are supporting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's unprovoked aggression," she said. "There will be no success in ending that war without Ukraine and the UN charter participating in what that success looks like."
Oleksiy Sorokin
