MUNICH: US Vice President Kamala Harris met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday and said there will be a "severe consequence" in the form of sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, a day after President Joe Biden said the threat of an invasion was "very high".
Harris said the work happening on an "hourly basis" to strengthen the US- NATO relationship is critically important and "that's one of the reasons I'm here."
"We are also committed, if Russia takes aggressive action, to ensure there will be severe consequence in terms of the sanctions we have discussed, and we know the alliance is strong in that regard," Harris said.
Biden on Thursday said the door to a diplomatic solution remains open but "my sense is this will happen in the next several days," referring to a Russian invasion.
US sees 'more forces moving into' Ukraine border region
Stoltenberg, who spoke briefly, said North America and Europe are doing more now "than they have done in years", a critical step to dealing with Russian aggression.
"To have US troops and more US troops in Europe (during) this critical time...really demonstrates the North American and US commitment to our shared security," he said.
During her three-day visit to the conference, Harris will also meet leaders of three Baltic states later on Friday and continue her visit with meetings with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other world leaders on Saturday.
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