Warsaw Marriott Hotel
Warsaw, Poland

6:48 P.M. CET

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS:  Mr. Prime Minister, it’s good to see you.  And as part of the strong, enduring, lasting, and deep friendship between the United States and Canada, we find ourselves by coincidence, or maybe fate, to be here in Warsaw at the same time, with the same purpose, which is to continually reaffirm the strength of the NATO Alliance and our two countries’ commitment, in that regard, to Ukraine — the people of Ukraine — and, as we are here in Warsaw, also the people of Poland.

And so, it is good to see you.  We have many things to discuss — in particular, what we can continue to do together to strengthen our assistance in terms of security assistance, humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, what we can continue to do to coordinate and collaborate within the NATO Alliance and with our EU partners in terms of the ongoing needs and the dynamic nature of what we are presented with in terms of this crisis.

I know we stand in solidarity in terms of our outrage at this war and the aggression that Russia has taken against Ukraine, unprovoked, unjustified.  And we value, of course, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and look forward to continuing our partnership in that regard. 

So, thank you. 

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:  Thank you so much, Madam Vice President.  It’s a real pleasure to see you again and to see us once again standing so strongly, side to side, on issues that matter so deeply. 

You, yourself, and the Biden administration, and President Biden particularly, have been so strong on this issue, coordinating likeminded countries over the past week to prepare for this possibility of the unthinkable — of Russia invading Ukraine.  And so, when it did, the kind of alignment, the kind of strength of unity that we’ve shown, I think, has really made a difference. 

First of all, Vladimir Putin totally underestimated the strength and resolve of the Ukrainian people.  But he also underestimated the strength and resolve of democracies to stand up in support of Ukraine but in support of those values and principles that underlie everything we do. 

So, from crippling sanctions on Putin and his top supporters, to unprecedented humanitarian aid, to security and military support for Ukrainians who are fighting not just for Ukraine but for all of us, we continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and will continue to.

We also have lots of other things to discuss.  But obviously, the priority that brings us both to Warsaw is our standing with Ukrainians and all Eastern Europeans as we reinforce the eastern flank of NATO and continue to do the work that matters in the world.

END                      6:52 P.M. CET