Harris describes the US commitment to NATO as “resolute”.

Harris praised Romania’s support for Ukrainian refugees, saying the humanitarian needs are “substantial and immediate.”

She said the United States would allocate more funding to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Europe.

Harris met Yohannes on Friday afternoon on her second and final leg of her trip to Europe. She is due to return to Washington later today.

In brief remarks before the sit-down talks, Harris and Yohannes said they wish they could meet under different circumstances.

“Hard times,” Johannes noted. “Your visit here gives us strength and is living proof of our strong partnership.”

Harris said the reaffirmation of the United States’ commitment to Romania and NATO was the reason for her visit, the highest visit to the region since the start of the war in Ukraine.

“That’s why I’m here,” she said. “To reaffirm our commitment to this partnership and friendship but also to NATO as a whole and all that the United States has been willing and still willing to do going forward, that’s in terms of the strength and continuity of that relationship.”

Her trip was a test of her diplomatic abilities and the determination of the broader Western allies to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his largest ground invasion of Europe since World War II.

Unlike Ukraine, Romania is a member of NATO, and Russia’s attack on the country would lead to the alliance’s Collective Defense Treaty, which states that an attack on one is an attack on all.

But even the protection of NATO, the alliance’s base system, and the missile defense system cannot completely calm the nerves in this ex-Soviet country that Russia has repeatedly invaded throughout its history.

European concern about Putin’s next steps surfaced in Bucharest, when Harris was asked about the prospects of the war spreading to Romania.

“In terms of what Putin’s behavior might be in the future, I can’t speculate,” Harris said. “But we are clear in our position that an attack on anyone as a member of NATO is an attack on everyone,” he added.

Iohannis sought to play down fears that Putin would set his sights on Romania next.

“We have no information that Romania will be a target of aggression,” he said through an interpreter. “On the other hand, it is very clear that this Russian action, this war that began against Ukraine, certainly created a difficult result, a clear company, a clear result. It is represented by the unity of NATO.”

Even with Russia and Ukraine stalling talks aimed at ending the war, Harris said Putin is not interested in “serious diplomacy.” She said the United States is committed to finding a diplomatic solution, but she does not seem optimistic that Moscow is currently seeking a solution.

“From the beginning, the United States has been honestly trying to engage in diplomacy,” she said. “From everything we know and have seen, Putin shows no sign of engaging in serious diplomacy.”

She said Russia was engaging in “lies” and “disinformation”, evidence she said the United States identified long ago, and added that as efforts in diplomacy continued, Russia must be held accountable for its actions.

“We affirm that diplomacy is the way to resolve these issues,” she said, noting that “it should coexist with our commitment to ensuring that our alliances are strong, and that there must be serious consequences and accountability for what Russia does.”

Harris on a critical diplomatic trip

Harris arrived in Bucharest from Poland, where she cemented the American commitment to another NATO ally watching carefully for Putin’s next move. She met US and Polish forces on Friday morning and said the US was committed to protecting “every inch” of NATO territory.

After meeting with President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw, Harris said: “The United States is ready to defend every inch of NATO territory. The United States takes very seriously that any attack against one is an attack against all.”

It announced that the United States had fulfilled the delivery of Patriot missiles to Poland and promised to support the country as it grapples with its own wave of immigrants, which has strained public resources, despite an overwhelming welcome from the Polish people.

However, her visit also underlined the limitations on either the United States or NATO’s willingness to protect civilians in Ukraine. The Pentagon considered a plan to supply Ukraine with Polish combat aircraft as impossible before their arrival, and offered little indication that they might be revived in the future.

Instead, Harris emphasized the military support the United States was already providing to Ukraine due to a lack of air power, including anti-tank missiles, which the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, deemed insufficient.

“We do deliveries every single day in terms of what we can do,” Harris said. When asked what more Ukraine could expect, she said, “This is an ongoing process and it will not stop to the point where there is a need.”

Harris also exaggerated the atrocities she said were taking place in Ukraine, though they stopped short of calling them war crimes. The United Nations called for an investigation into the matter.

In Bucharest, her answer to a similar question was quick.

“We are clear that any deliberate attack or targeting of civilians is a war crime,” she said.

The administration said that before the official classification of war crimes can be made, an investigation must be conducted. But officials made clear that Russia was targeting civilians, and made clear that they believed such an action would constitute a war crime.

An official traveling with the vice president said her visit was meant to be more than symbolic, meant to show the US was putting its “money right” by sending additional troops into NATO’s eastern regions.

But the official also acknowledged that Harris’ type of reassurance diplomacy has taken on greater importance because Biden is intent on avoiding direct conflict with Russia.

“The president was very clear about not engaging in direct military conflict with Russia, not sending troops to Ukraine, but he was also clear… about our determination to make Russia pay for this and continue to provide assistance to Ukraine,” the official said. Here to make sure we can do this in an efficient manner. And I think they’ve been very effective in doing that.”

Clarification: This story has been updated to more accurately describe the political relationship between Romania and the Soviet Union.