Transcript Of VP Harris Speech To Munich Conference

This transcript of Vice President Harris' speech to the Munich Security Conference is from Whitehouse.gov:

Well, it is my honor to be back at the Munich Security Conference.
 
As many of us remember, last year, on this stage, I warned of the imminent invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  And let us all recall: Many at the time wondered how we would all respond.  Many wondered: Could Russia be stopped?  Would NATO come together?  Would NATO break apart?  And would Ukraine be prepared?
 
Colleagues, today, a year later, we know. 
 
Kyiv is still standing.  (Applause.)  Russia — Russia is weakened. 
 
The transatlantic Alliance is stronger than ever.  (Applause.)  And most importantly, the spirit of the Ukrainian people endures.
 
And under Joe Biden, President of the United States, our country has demonstrated decisive leadership.
 
As President Biden often says: The United States will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.  We will not waver.
 
And today, at this Munich Security Conference, I will describe what we all continue to have at stake: the moral interest, the strategic interest, and the reason Ukraine matters for the people of America, for the people of Europe, and for people around the world.
 
First, from the starting days of this unprovoked war, we have witnessed Russian forces engage in horrendous atrocities and war crimes.  Their actions are an assault on our common values, an attack on our common humanity.
 
And let us be clear: Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population — gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation.  Execution-style killings, beatings, and electrocution.
 
Russian authorities have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children.  They have cruelly separated children from their families.
 
And we’ve all seen the images of the theater in Mariupol, where hundreds of people were killed.
 
Think of the image of the pregnant mother who was killed following a strike at a maternity hospital, where she was preparing to give birth.
 
Think of the images of Bucha.  Civilians shot in cold blood.  Their bodies left in the street.  The jarring photograph of the man who was riding his bike.
 
Think of the four-year-old girl who the United Nations recently reported was sexually assaulted by a Russian soldier.  A four-year-old child.
 
Barbaric and inhumane.
 
Long before I was Vice President of the United States, I spent the majority of my career as a prosecutor, beginning as a young lawyer in the courtroom and later running the California Department of Justice.  I know firsthand the importance of gathering facts and holding them up against the law.
 
In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence.  We know the legal standards.  And there is no doubt these are crimes against humanity.  (Applause.)
 
The United States has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity.
 
And I say to all those who have perpetrated these crimes and to their superiors who are complicit in these crimes: You will be held to account.
 
In the face of these indisputable facts, to all of us here in Munich: Let us renew our commitment to accountability.  Let us renew our commitment to the rule of law. 
 
As for the United States, we will continue to support the judicial process in Ukraine and international investigations, because justice must be served.
 
Let us all agree, on behalf of all the victims, both known and unknown, justice must be served.  Such is our moral interest.
 
We also have a significant strategic interest.  The fight in Ukraine has far-reaching global ramifications. 
 
No nation is safe in a world where one country can violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another — (applause) — where crimes against humanity are committed with impunity; where a country with imperialist ambitions can go unchecked.
 
Our response to the Russian invasion is a demonstration of our collective commitment to uphold international rules and norms.  Rules and norms which, since the end of World War Two, have provided unprecedented security and prosperity not only for the American people, not only for the people of Europe, but people around the world.
 
Principles that state that sovereign nations have a right to peacefully exist, that borders must not be changed by force, that there are inalienable human rights which governments must respect, and that the rule of law must be preserved.
 
Indeed, this moment has tested our willingness to defend and uphold these rules and norms.  And we have remained strong, and we must stay strong.  Because if Putin were to succeed with his attack on these fundamental principles, other nations could feel emboldened to follow his violent example.  Other authoritarian powers could seek to bend the world to their will through coercion, disinformation, and even brute force.  The international order upon which we all rely could be at risk.
 
So, in the interest of global security and prosperity, one of our defining missions is to uphold international rules-based order.  And nations around the world agree.
 
Consider, more than 140 countries voted at the United Nations to condemn Russia’s aggression and to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in defense of the core principles of the U.N. Charter. 
 
Of course, we have also seen nations like North Korea and Iran send weapons in support of Russia’s brutal war. 
 
We are also troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began.
 
Looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing, and further undermine a rules-based order.
 
Again, the United States will continue to strongly support Ukraine.  And we will do so for as long as it takes. 
 
The American people, you see, are in awe of the resolve of the people of Ukraine, in awe of their resilience and righteousness, their willingness to fight for freedom and liberty, and the extraordinary tenacity and leadership of President Zelenskyy.
 
In fact, joining me in Munich are distinguished members of the United States Congress.  Republicans and Democrats.  Members of the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.   And they are here together because they understand the stakes.
 
The leadership of these members has been vital to America’s support of Ukraine.  And President Biden and I know that their support for Ukraine will continue.
 
We also know Ukraine will continue to be supported by a united transatlantic community.  (Applause.)
 
So, Putin thought he could divide NATO.  Remember where we were a year ago.  In this, he has failed.
 
The NATO Alliance is stronger now than ever before, and the United States commitment to NATO and to its Article 5 is ironclad.
 
Just look at our track record over the past year.  Just look at our multilateral cooperation.  Together, we have provided historic assistance to Ukraine.  Together, we have dealt Russia a strategic failure.  Together, we have imposed unprecedented cost on Russia.  And together, we have pursued energy security and reinvested in our collective defense.
 
And we have come together to stand for our common values and our common interests and our common humanity.  I have no doubt that this unity will endure.
 
I also have no illusions about the path forward.  There will be more dark days in Ukraine.  The daily agony of war will persist.
 
The global ripple effects will continue to be felt by countries near and far — from Africa, to Southeast Asia, to the Caribbean. 
 
But if Putin thinks he can wait us out, he is badly mistaken.  Time is not on his side.
 
To be sure, Ukrainians will continue to be tried and tested, just as they have been over this past year.  Transatlantic unity will continue to be tried and tested.  And I am certain that Ukraine will rise to the task, that the United States and Europe will rise to the task.
 
So, my last point: America will continue our leadership in defense of human dignity, in defense of rules and norms, and in defense of freedom and liberty.  There is too much at stake to do anything less.
 
Americans know well the meaning of independence.  We believe in the fundamental importance of sovereignty and rule of law.  And we will always stand on the side of justice.
 
Colleagues, I do believe we all know when future generations look back at this moment, they will see that we understood the task before us and rose to the occasion.
 
And so, to you I say: The United States of America is proud to be your partner in this noble pursuit.
 

Thank you.