Kamala Harris meets with NATO head and Baltic leaders in Munich

Vice President Kamala Harris met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Munich and said a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have “serious consequences” in the form of sanctions.

Harris, who leads the U.S. delegation to the Munich Security Conference, said the work being done “hourly” to strengthen the U.S.-NATO relationship was crucial, and “that’s one of the reasons” she came to Munich.

“If Russia takes aggressive action, we are also committed to providing serious consequences for the sanctions that we have discussed, and we know that the alliance is strong in that regard,” Harris said.

Stoltenberg said North America and Europe are now doing more “than they have done in recent years,” which is an important step toward countering Russian aggression.

“The fact that even more U.S. troops are in Europe at this critical time really demonstrates the commitment of North America and the United States to our common security,” he said.

During a meeting with the leaders of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, also held in Munich, Kamala Harris said Washington is firmly committed to protecting its NATO allies amid tensions with Russia.

“I recognize the threat, we support you on this, and on many other issues, and we are united as NATO allies,” Harris said as she began talks with the leaders of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

“The United States is committed to Article Five,” she added, referring to the NATO solidarity clause. The Fifth Article of the NATO Charter states, “The contracting parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America will be considered an attack against them as a whole.”