Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s former spokeswoman Iuliia Mendel called Vice President Kamala Harris’ laugh at a Warsaw, Poland press conference “a very bad experience” during a Friday interview on CNN’s “New Day.”
Harris laughed at a question on whether the U.S. would accept Ukrainian refugees amid the growing influx of Ukrainians entering Poland at the joint conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday. Mendel responded in a since-deleted tweet that “it would be a tragedy” if Harris was ever elected president.
“I deleted that tweet because I was explained that Kamala Harris had this kind of peculiarity of communication when she feels uncomfortable,” Mendel told host Alex Marquardt. “But for us, and for Ukrainians … it was a very bad experience to see this type of reaction — a laugh — when we’re listening about one of the biggest tragedies of Ukraine right now, when so many millions of Ukrainians are turned into refugees.”
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Mendel said Ukraine is grateful for U.S. support and for delegating $13.6 billion to military and humanitarian aid. (RELATED: ‘A Polish Joke’: Gutfeld Rips Harris’ Performance At The Poland Press Conference)
“We understand even if her communication was somehow inappropriate,” she continued. “Her actions make more sense and show more than some of her communication behaviors.”
After the vice president’s laugh during Thursday’s joint press conference, Harris replied that “a friend in need is a friend indeed” before bursting out in more laughter. Duda began to address the questions on Ukrainian refugees when Harris’ laugh began to fade, pressing Harris for the U.S. government to expedite visas to refugees hoping to reunite with their family members in the U.S.
Over 2.5 million have fled Ukraine into neighboring countries, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi announced early Friday.
The number of refugees from Ukraine — tragically — has reached today 2.5 million.
We also estimate that about two million people are displaced inside Ukraine.
Millions forced to leave their homes by this senseless war.
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) March 11, 2022
Statistics show that an average of two Ukrainian refugees are entering Poland every three seconds, as the country has witnessed 1.4 million seek refuge, according to the Wall Street Journal.