Nancy Pelosi to join Kamala Harris on diplomatic trip to Germany
Ryan King
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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will join Vice President Kamala Harris at the Munich Security Conference on Thursday.
Harris will be leading the United States’s work at the conference after having arrived in Munich, Germany, on Thursday and meeting with German Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Soder. The U.S. delegation is likely to be one of the largest to the Munich Security Conference in nearly six decades.
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“Nearly one year since Putin’s diabolical invasion of Ukraine, the world remains in awe of the courage and heroism of the Ukrainian people,” Pelosi said in a statement. “This year’s Munich Security Conference convenes world leaders at a critical moment to reaffirm our unshakeable unity in supporting the fight for freedom in Ukraine.”
Although she is no longer the House speaker or the top Democrat in the lower chamber, Pelosi continues to have pronounced influence in the Beltway. Ahead of the trip, Pelosi underscored the importance of addressing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and bolstering diplomatic ties with U.S. allies.
“As the world continues to witness the rise of anti-democratic threats, a strong trans-Atlantic partnership is as vital as ever. In Munich, we will strengthen bonds with top officials of our allies, promoting security, prosperity, and Democracy in the world for generations to come,” Pelosi added.
The conference is slated to take place between Feb. 17 to 19 and is expected to cover a range of issues such as national security, the war in Ukraine, and more.
Tensions between the U.S. and China have been strained heading into the conference amid a dispute over the suspected Chinese spy balloon penetrated U.S. airspace. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the meeting, as will Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party foreign policy chief.
Harris and Pelosi are both California Democrats. Last year, they sat next to each other during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s address to Congress.
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President Joe Biden is set to welcome German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the White House next month, the administration announced Thursday. The pair are expected to discuss topics including national security and trade.
The visit will take place after Biden’s trip to Poland to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, where he will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and other leaders of the eastern-flank NATO allies.