US VP Harris to attend Ukraine summit in Switzerland: White House
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US Vice-President Kamala Harris will reaffirm support for the people of Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – US Vice-President Kamala Harris will attend a Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, the White House said on June 3, after President Joe Biden was reportedly set to skip it for an election fund-raiser hosted by actor George Clooney.
Ms Harris, who will be joined by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan for the June 15 meeting in Lucerne,
“The Vice-President will reaffirm support for the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against ongoing Russian aggression,” Ms Harris’ spokeswoman Kirsten Allen said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been pushing for Mr Biden to attend the summit, saying that if the US leader did not turn up it would be like “personally applauding” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kyiv hopes to win broad international backing at the meeting for its vision of the terms needed to end Russia’s war.
But the Swiss summit clashes with a fund-raiser in California hosted by Hollywood stars Clooney and Julia Roberts, along with former president Barack Obama, for Mr Biden’s re-election bid against Donald Trump.
Mr Biden’s apparent no-show in Switzerland comes despite the fact that he will be a short plane-hop away in neighbouring Italy for a Group of Seven meeting the day before the Lucerne meeting. AFP
