CBS Mornings host Gayle King pressed Vice President Kamala Harris on whether or not the United States would ever send troops to Ukraine during a Wednesday morning interview.
The interview followed President Joe Biden’s first formal State of the Union Address, during which he reiterated that the White House would stand with other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in supporting and sending aid to Ukraine but would not send troops to help repel the ongoing Russian invasion.
Biden did hint that American troops could be sent to Europe if Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goals stretched beyond the borders of Ukraine and into a NATO nation, saying, “Let me be clear, our forces are not engaged and will not engage in conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine. Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but to defend our NATO Allies – in the event that Putin decides to keep moving west.”
King asked Harris what it might take to make Biden reconsider the pledge not to send American troops to Ukraine, but Harris did not deviate from the president’s language.
“I hear you on that, but those images are heartbreaking to watch. We see innocent civilians being killed, we see children being killed, and the administration has made it clear there will be no boots on the ground,” King pressed. “What will it take? Will anything change that? Will we stand by and watch innocent people continue to be killed here?”
“Well, Gail, you’re absolutely right. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s heartbreaking. The image of a missile that fell struck just right next to a children’s playground. The Ukrainians who are, as civilians, taking up defense of their nation out of pride and also an understanding of what is at stake in terms of their vitality and their independence. So it is heart-wrenching, to be sure,” Harris replied.
But then the vice president went on to restate the administration’s position, adding, “But I will tell you, the president is clear. We are clear. We are not going to put U.S. troops in Ukraine to fight the Russians, not on the ground and not in the air. But we are going to continue working with our allies to one, defend every inch of territory as it relates to NATO territory. But also, we will continue to do with the billions of dollars of humanitarian, security, and military assistance that we have been providing Ukraine. There is so much at stake, and each day we reevaluate and do more to make sure that we are supporting the Ukrainian people.”
“And President Zelensky, who I met with just about a week ago in Munich. He has shown extraordinary courage,” Harris concluded. “And in this moment, I think he has been an inspiration to all of us.”