Kamala Harris says she 'remains very concerned' about potential Russian invasion of Ukraine - and then shows reporters the pots and skillets she just bought in Paris
Vice President Kamala Harris told French reporters that America remains 'very concerned' about Russia outside of a shop in Paris on Saturday after buying pots and skillets.
As the Biden administration warned of an imminent threat in Eastern Europe over fears of a Ukraine invasion amid an escalating crisis at the Belarus-Poland border, Harris strolled through Paris with her husband Doug Emhoff.
When asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict the vice president said: 'I cannot talk to you about classified information' and went on to express her concerns on the crisis.
But it wasn't the first time Harris has voiced worries about Russian military movements amid the tense immigrant crisis in Belarus that has the potential to spill over into other countries in Europe.
Harris said the 'eyes of the world' are on the Belarus border as the Biden administration waded into the chaos in Eastern Europe.
The vice president spoke to French reporters as she left a Parisian shop with her husband Doug Emhoff (right) after buying pots and skillets
Fears are growing of an imminent conflict in Eastern Europe as Russia and Belarus carry out snap military drills close to where a migrant crisis is playing out on Poland's border, while Washington warns Vladimir Putin is preparing to invade Eastern Ukraine
Kamala Harris told French reporters that America remains 'very concerned' about Russia just days after saying she was worried about Russian military movements amid a tense immigrant crisis in Belarus that has the potential to spill over into other countries in Europe
The vice president spoke on the situation at a press conference in Paris - a trip she said was about 'making clear the long-standing relationship but also that we go into a new era for the world that our work will continue' while strolling the city on Saturday.
Her five-day trip was aimed at undoing some of the damage caused by a series of blunders the White House made in its dealings with the French, including the AUKUS submarine deal.
The deal - a $66 billion submarine contract between Australia and France - put relations between France and the US at an all-time low when Australia bailed on the contract to work with the United States and UK instead.
In an enraged response, France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia.
The vice president is the highest-ranking member of the Biden administration to visit France as a USA TODAY/Suffolk poll last week revealed that her approval rating is at a dire 28 percent.
When asked about how her trip to France - which began on Tuesday - has been so far, she said it was 'a very productive and good trip,' presumably nodding to her two-hour meeting with with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday.
'The partnership between the United States and France remains and will continue to be a very strong one,' she added on Saturday - her last day in Paris.
On Friday, she had stood alongside Macron at a press conference where she referenced her seemingly growing fears of an imminent conflict in Eastern Europe as Russia and Belarus carry out snap military drills close to where a migrant crisis is playing out on Poland's border.
President Joe Biden issued his own expression of concern as he left the White House for Camp David on Friday.
'It’s of great concern. We’ve communicated our concern to Russia. We’ve communicated our concern to Belarus. We think it’s a problem,' he said in response to a shouted question from a reporter.
Meanwhile, Washington has warned that Putin is preparing to invade Eastern Ukraine.
'On the issue of Belarus and what is happening at the border with Poland, we are very concerned about that and closely paying attention to it,' Harris said at the press conference in Paris on Friday.
Harris made the statement after Russia conducted bombing exercises with Belarusian forces and built up troops along its border with Ukraine – prompting the US to assert its 'ironclad' commitment to Ukrainian security.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russian President Vladimir Putin he would be making a 'serious mistake' if he invaded Ukraine while speaking with Ukraine's foreign minister on Wednesday.
Amid the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Belarus is pressuring Europe over migrants and has threatened to cut off gas supplies to the continent by shutting the Yamal-Europe pipeline that runs through its territory (pictured)
Harris also gave a warning to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's government.
'The Lukashenko regime, I believe is engaged in very troubling activity. It is something that I discussed with President Macron, and the eyes of the world and its leaders are watching what is happening there,' she said.
Amid the chaos on Europe's doorstep, the White House warned Brussels to brace for a Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Thursday night.
The CIA briefed European officials about a possible Russian assault to capture territory in eastern Ukraine similar to the 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
The EU said it is alarmed by Russian military activities close to Ukraine, which is watching the situation closely and 'looking at further steps' along with the United States and Britain.
The situation escalated on Friday with developments including:
- The EU said it is alarmed by Russian military activities close to Ukraine, is watching the situation closely and 'looking at further steps' along with the United States and Britain
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia is waging 'hybrid warfare' on Europe using migrants
- US and European delegations accused Minsk of endangering lives for political ends at UN Security Council
- Former UK defense minister Tobias Ellwood called Russia's moves 'deeply concerning' and a 'test of resolve'
- Turkey barred citizens from Iraq, Syrian and Yemen from flying to Belarus amid fears they will head to border
Blinken on Wednesday warned Moscow against making another 'serious mistake' in Ukraine, in reference to its 2014 invasion.
He addressed the situation once again on Friday.
'We are also very concerned by efforts by Belarus to use migration as a political weapon. I am not going to preview any possible sanctions, but we are looking at various tools that we have,' he said, speaking at a press conference with Qatari officials.
At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated administration concerns about Russia's military moves as well as 'harsh rhetoric.'
Poland has deployed some 15,000 troops to its eastern border where they have spent much of this week trying to hold back thousands of migrants that Lukashenko's regime is accused of forcing into the region
Poland, along with the leaders of nearby Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, has been warning that the crisis has the potential to spill over into a full-blown conflict
She said the administration has made clear in discussions with Russian officials that 'escalatory aggressive actions would be of great concern to the United States.'
Russia is carrying out snap military drills in Belarus just a few miles from the Polish border today, as fears grow that Putin is preparing for an invasion in eastern Europe.
The US and European allies accuse Lukashenko of seeking to destabilize its neighbors by deliberately massing migrants from the Middle East and North Africa along the Polish border and seeking to push them across.
Thousands of migrants have been brought into Belarus, and are lined up along the border with Poland and Lithuania but are blocked from entering. The European Union calls it a 'hybrid attack' and is preparing sanctions on Minsk.
Russia has defended its ally and has denied Belarus is using the immigrants as a 'tool of war' to pressure European countries.
'Russia doesn’t threaten anyone,' said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov. 'The movement of troops on our territory shouldn’t be a cause for anyone’s concern,' he told reporters, the Associated Press reported.
Russia's defense ministry said the unannounced drill involved paratroopers from both countries dropping at the Gozhsky range, just 20 miles from where thousands of migrants are gathered at the Polish border, where they practiced capturing bridges as well as hunting down and destroying enemy patrols.
Belarus said the drill was in response to the 'build-up of military activity' at the Polish border, where 15,000 troops have been stationed to hold back the migrants, while Russia said it was to test the 'combat readiness' of its troops.
Harris and Macron held talks for around two hours, which their aides described as constructive
Harris and Macron were seen on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace in Paris
At the same time, Polish defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak revealed that British military engineers have been deployed to help strengthen the border defenses, amid warnings from all sides that the crisis risks spilling over into an armed conflict. The MoD confirmed a 'small team' has been sent to provide engineering support.
The troops are likely from the light cavalry squadron that the UK currently has stationed in Poland as part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence, which includes soldiers from the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers.
Amidst the tensions, RAF Typhoons from Lossiemouth & Coningsby were also scrambled to escort two Russian nuclear-capable bombers which flew over the North Sea and towards the English Channel today. They were joined on the mission by a Voyager Tanker from RAF Brize Norton, the RAF said.
Separately, Washington warned its European allies that Putin could be preparing for an invasion of Ukraine's eastern borders - hundreds of miles from where the migrant crisis is playing out - after satellites spotted troops, tanks and artillery pieces massing there.
Ukraine - which has been fighting a proxy-war against Russian-backed separatists in its eastern regions for years - has moved 8,500 more troops to the region in response.
Addressing the crisis today, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced what he called 'increased provocations' against Russia, saying his country 'can't stay indifferent to that; we must be on our guard.'
'We take measures to ensure our security when opponents take defiant action near our borders,' Peskov added.
Meanwhile, Sergei Shoigu, Russia's defense minister, warned his French counterparts that the military situation in Europe 'continues to deteriorate' while slamming NATO for 'building up its military presence' near Russia's border.
Speaking after a meeting with French officials in Paris, Shoigu insisted that Russia is working to 'increase predictability and reduce the risk of incidents' in the border region.
The Quebec-educated vice president, who speaks some French, spoke on Tuesday of her love for scientific principals - but was mocked for appearing to put on a French accent
Besides facing a possible impending war, Harris was also met with fierce backlash after she appeared to put on a French accent to speak to scientists at a Covid lab in Paris on Tuesday.
She was at the Institut Pasteur science lab, where Americans are working alongside Europeans to tackle Covid-19 and where her Indian-born mother researched breast cancer.
She spoke about her love of science and her dismay at how politics could not be as methodical and logical as their experiments.
'In government, we campaign with 'The Plan,' Harris said, with what some said was a French accent to discuss 'the plan.'
'Uppercase T, uppercase P, '"The Plan!"
'And then the environment is such we're expected to defend "The Plan" even when the first time we roll it out there may be some glitches and it's time to reevaluate and then do it again.'
Mike Pompeo, former President Donald Trump's secretary of state, said Harris was humiliating the United States.
'The clip from Vice President Harris is more than embarrassing on the world stage,' he told Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity on Wednesday night.
'Our adversaries watch that and see weakness. They see people who aren't serious, they see people who aren't determined - precisely the opposite of what we did for four years.'
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