Harris repudiates Trump worldview and says the US won't back down on defending Ukraine

MUNICH (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday warned of the dangers of growing authoritarianism and isolationism in a not-so-veiled repudiation of Donald Trump’s worldview and threats to renege on security guarantees for NATO allies should he return to the White House.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Harris offered a broad defense of the Biden administration’s approach to global challenges, especially in leading international support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Her comments came as the Ukraine risks losing U.S. support due to congressional dysfunction and positions taken by Trump and many of his supporters.

Amid an atmosphere of deep angst at the conference that was punctuated by the news Friday of the death in prison of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Harris said the United States would not back down on supporting democracy and multilateralism as well defending international rules and norms from attempts to subvert them.

“We are committed to pursue global engagement, to uphold international rules and norms to defend democratic allies at home and abroad and to work with our allies and partners in pursuit of shared goals,” Harris said.

"However, there are some in the United States who disagree they suggest it is in the best interest of the American people to isolate ourselves from the world, to flout common understandings among nations, to embrace dictators and adopt the repressive tactics and abandon commitments to our allies in favor of unilateral action," she said.

“Let me be clear, that world view is dangerous, destabilizing and indeed shortsighted,” Harris said without mentioning Trump by name. “That view would weaken American and undermine global stability and undermine global prosperity. President Biden and I therefore reject that view.”

Earlier, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres delivered a stark and somber assessment of the current state of the world, lamenting not only the war in Ukraine but also the current situation in Gaza, where Israel appears poised to launch a major operation against Hamas in the southern city of Rafah.

“It’s clear that our world is in deep trouble,” Guterres said. “Global governance in its present form is entrenching divisions and fueling discontent.”

“Today we see countries doing whatever they like, with no accountability. Impunity seems to be the name of the game,” he said.