Former President Donald Trump made a false claim on Wednesday regarding Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging that she met Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. During a speech delivered in North Carolina, Trump stated, “Do you remember when Biden sent Kamala to Europe to stop the war in Ukraine? She met with Putin, and three days later he attacked. How did she manage that? Does she believe she performed well? She met with Putin to tell him, ‘Do not do this.’ And three days later, he launched his attack; that is when the assault began. Did you know this, General?” This statement has been widely fact-checked and deemed inaccurate by independent sources.
CNN has confirmed that Vice President Harris did not meet with President Putin at any time. Instead, in the lead-up to the Russian invasion, she met with key U.S. allies, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during the Munich Security Conference held from February 18 to 20, 2022. Notably, President Putin did not attend this conference. A spokesperson from the Kremlin recently stated, “Frankly, I do not recall a single contact between President Putin and Ms. Harris.”
At the time of Harris’s trip to the conference, the Biden administration was actively seeking to deter a potential invasion of Ukraine, although senior officials, including President Joe Biden himself, acknowledged that they believed Putin was already preparing for an offensive. On the day Harris left for Germany, Biden indicated to reporters that he anticipated a Russian attack to occur “in the coming days.”
CNN further reported that, on the first day of the Munich conference, a senior administration official articulated three primary objectives for Harris’s visit: to assess the rapidly evolving situation on the ground, to maintain full alignment with allies, and to convey a clear message to Russia that the United States preferred diplomacy but was ready for potential Russian aggression.
In summary, President Trump’s claim regarding Vice President Harris’s alleged meeting with President Putin is not substantiated by facts. Such inaccuracies can undermine public understanding of critical international relations and diplomatic efforts.
Leave a Reply