Kamala Harris Has Entered the Presidential Race. What Does This Mean for Ukraine?

Shortly after US President Joe Biden announced, that he was ending his campaign for re-election, Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy was supported by the majority in the Democratic Party.

“I am very pleased to receive the President’s endorsement, and I intend to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in her statement on July 21.

A Harris administration is expected to continue many of Biden’s foreign policy initiatives. This includes unwavering support for Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression.

Harris has represented the US at significant global events, stepping in for President Biden on numerous occasions. Notably, she attended the 2023 ASEAN summit and the Munich Security Conference in both 2022 and 2023, where she affirmed US support for Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid the Russian invasion.

Harris has consistently supported Ukraine against Russian aggression and is likely to uphold Biden’s policies. In June, she attended the Summit on Peace for Ukraine instead of Joe Biden, holding her sixth meeting with Zelenskyy, reiterating the US’s commitment to supporting Kyiv, and announcing over $1.5 billion in US aid through USAID and the State Department.

This support aimed to repair infrastructure, boost power generation, attract private investment, and protect energy facilities amid Russian attacks. It also includes over $379 million in humanitarian aid for refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected communities in Ukraine, covering food, healthcare, shelter, and sanitation services. Additionally, the US plans to provide $300 million in civilian security assistance to Ukraine.

Washington Representative Adam Smith, the leading Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, highlighted Harris’s readiness for global leadership. “She has been stress-tested,” Smith remarked, noting her effective representation of the administration at the Munich Security Conference and her advocacy for US roles in Ukraine, NATO, and global affairs.

In an interview with NBC News, Harris reaffirmed the need for continued US support for Ukraine. “Ukraine needs our support, and we must give it,” she stated. At the Munich Security Conference, she also pledged US support for Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”

In December 2013, during his working visit to the United States, Zelenskyy met with Harris, where he outlined Ukraine’s vision for a just peace based on the Peace Formula and discussed the progress of its implementation. Zelenskyy updated Vice President Harris on the efforts to maintain the “grain corridor,” which plays a vital role in global food security.

The discussions were also focused on the growth of the Ukrainian economy, emphasizing that further protection of the civilian and critical infrastructure is essential for encouraging displaced Ukrainians to return to their hometowns and achieving the country’s economic independence.

Since then, Harris has been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, labeling Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian civilians as “crimes against humanity.” She has vowed to hold those responsible in Moscow accountable.

“To all those who have perpetrated these crimes, and to their superiors who are complicit in those crimes, you will be held to account,” Harris said in 2023 at Munich.

Harris’s statement signaled the United States' willingness to support the Peace Formula’s clause regarding the restoration of justice.