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VP Kamala Harris reinforces U.S. support against Russia in Romania visit

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets on Friday with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis during a welcome ceremony at Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, Romania. Photo by Robert Ghement/EPA-EFE
1 of 4 | U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets on Friday with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis during a welcome ceremony at Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, Romania. Photo by Robert Ghement/EPA-EFE

March 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled from Poland to Romania on Friday as part of her three-day visit in Eastern Europe this week to meet with leaders and reinforce U.S. support for the region against Russian aggression.

Harris arrived in Romania early Friday, her first visit to the former Eastern Bloc nation, which is now a member of NATO. On Thursday, Harris met with leaders in Poland and condemned attacks by the Russian military against civilians in Ukraine.

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"The United States continues to stand with the people of Ukraine and will continue to work to meet their immediate needs and save lives," Harris said in a tweet Friday.

"We'll do everything together in solidarity to support what is necessary for the humanitarian and security needs of the Ukrainian people. They have shown extraordinary courage and skill and their willingness and, yes, ability to fight against Putin's war and Russia's aggression."

Rescuers work at the scene of a Russian airstrike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Friday. Civilian targets came under Russian shelling in south-central Ukraine on the Dnieper River. Officials say there were three airstrikes that hit a kindergarten, an apartment building and a two-story shoe factory. Photo by Ukraine State Emergency Service/UPI
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U.S. President Joe Biden has sent a small number of American troops to Romania and Poland to reinforce NATO's resistance to Russian aggression and help with the large numbers of refugees escaping into Ukraine's neighboring countries.

Friday, Harris met with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and the two spoke about bilateral relations and Romania's role in the present situation. Poland has so far taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees since the Russian war began. She said previously that the United States will "defend every inch of NATO territory."

"Romania is also a front-line state," a senior administration official told reporters. "Differences with Poland -- in particular, the issue of the Black Sea, where they have very serious concerns about Russian activities and naval presence there."

According to the United Nations refugee agency, Romania has already accepted more than 80,000 Ukrainian refugees.

"Romania is another country where we're stepping up and providing not just humanitarian assistance, not just coordinating on Ukraine, but we've deployed a Stryker squadron and some 1,000 associated U.S. troops there as part of our effort to shore up the whole eastern flank," the administration official added.

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