U.S. dedication to NATO defense is ‘ironclad’ says VP Kamala Harris
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that Washington’s dedication to the collective defense of NATO is “ironclad” as she visited allied Romania, which has experienced a flood of refugees from neighboring Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion there.
“We take seriously, and are prepared to act on, the words we speak when we say, ‘An attack on one is an attack against all,’” Harris said during a news conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
Harris also thanked Romania, a Balkan country of 19 million residents, for welcoming tens of thousands of displaced people from Ukraine as of earlier this week. The Ukrainian refugee crisis is expected to only become more challenging in the days and weeks ahead, and Harris said the Romanian people have been “extraordinary in the generosity and the courage you have shown in this moment.”
She warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown “no signs of engaging in serious diplomacy” to end the war in Ukraine. And she reiterated that Americans should be prepared to endure higher gas prices as the U.S. and its allies punish Russia, a major global oil supplier, with economic sanctions for the invasion.
“There is a price to pay for democracy. Gotta stand with your friends,” Harris said, adding that “sometimes it’s difficult, often it ain’t easy.”
Iohannis said that NATO needs to “fundamentally rethink” its approach to its eastern flank, and he spoke with Harris about enhancing the alliance’s presence there.
“NATO will act without hesitation to defend each and every allied state, including, obviously, Romania,” Iohannis said. “It is a scenario that all of us want to avoid.”
The southeastern European country of Romania had taken in more than 84,000 displaced people as of Tuesday, according to United Nations data. Other countries on NATO’s eastern flank, including Hungary, Moldova and Slovakia, have also welcomed tens of thousands of refugees.
The Pentagon announced last month it was deploying a Stryker squadron of about 1,000 additional soldiers to Romania, a NATO member, as the Biden administration looks to bolster the military alliance’s presence on NATO’s eastern flank.
U.S. officials remain concerned about Romania’s vulnerability in the midst of Russian activity in the Black Sea.
