Vice President Kamala Harris struggled to find the correct words Thursday during a joint press conference in Warsaw, Poland.
“I am here, standing here, on the Northern flank—on the Eastern flank talking about what we have in terms of the Eastern flank and our NATO allies and what is at stake at this very moment,” Harris said. “What is at stake this very moment are some of the guiding principles around the NATO alliance and, in particular, the issue and the importance of defending sovereignty and territorial integrity, in this case of Ukraine.”
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Harris attended the conference alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda as part of her trip to demonstrate U.S. support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Ukraine amid ongoing Russian aggression. (RELATED: Newt Gingrich Rips ‘Lack Of Seriousness’ Of Biden Admin For Sending Kamala Harris On Diplomatic Trip)
When asked about how the U.S. intends to aid Europe in handling the over two million Ukrainian refugees entering neighboring countries, Harris and Duda looked at one another for a moment, then laughed to break the silence. The vice president then said that “a friend in need is a friend indeed” before bursting into laughter again.
With approximately 1.4 million Ukrainian refugees entering Poland, including some 200,000 in the capital city of Warsaw, statistics show two refugees are coming into Poland every three seconds, the Wall Street Journal reported. Duda pressed Harris for the U.S. government to expedite visas for Ukrainians in Poland that want to settle with relatives in the U.S.
Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, reporting on the ground in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, criticized Harris on Thursday for being “detached from reality” during the press conference as Ukrainians are in need of anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft weapons.
“We just heard all of this talk that you hear out of Washington about cooperation and friendship and to be nimble and swift in the response and understanding and appreciating,” he added. “There are people dying as we speak on the ground in Ukraine, across this country, thousands of people.”