Vice President Kamala Harris has been chosen to represent the United States at the peace conference on Ukraine in Switzerland, despite Ukrainian President Zelensky’s previous insistence that President Biden attend. The White House announced that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Vice President Harris will be attending the summit on June 15th in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The announcement stated that Vice President Harris will emphasize the commitment of the Biden-Harris administration to support Ukraine in achieving lasting peace. Harris’s spokeswoman also mentioned that the Vice President will reaffirm United States support for the Ukrainian people in their defense against Russia’s actions. However, President Biden is reportedly tied up with a campaign fundraising event in California and will not be attending the conference.
Former President Barack Obama will be present at the fundraiser to support Biden in his campaign against Donald Trump. This news comes as a disappointment to President Zelensky, who previously spoke out against Biden’s absence from the conference. Zelensky suggested that leaders attending or not attending the conference would show their stance on peace or conflict in Ukraine.
The conference is expected to draw attendees from over 100 countries and organizations, with Ukraine hoping to garner widespread support for their plan to end the conflict. However, concerns have been raised that the event may lose significance if President Biden does not attend. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also not expected to attend, as China stated that the event did not meet their requirements. Russia was not invited to the conference, as Moscow dismissed the event as meaningless without a Russian representative present.
The announcement of Vice President Harris’ attendance at
