Kamala Harris secures Democratic presidential nomination

Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the Democratic presidential nomination after gaining a majority of pledged delegates at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, she announced on Aug. 2.

Harris became the presumptive nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month and now has a chance of becoming the first female U.S. president in history.

"I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States," she said in a post on social media, adding: "I will officially accept the nomination next week."

"This campaign is about people coming together, fueled by love of country, to fight for the best of who we are," she said.

Biden left the race amid increased pressure from high-ranking Democrats for him to drop out of the race, citing concerns regarding Biden's fitness for office and mental acuity intensified following the president's poor debate performance in June.

A career prosecutor from California, Harris served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as a Senator before running in the 2020 Democratic primary. She dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden, who appointed her as his running mate. She became the first female vice president in U.S. history in January 2021.

Harris' work as VP has focused heavily on immigration and reproductive rights, but she has played a role in the Biden administration's foreign affairs efforts.

At Ukraine's global peace summit in Switzerland in June, Harris represented the U.S. and announced over $1.5 billion in additional support for Ukraine. The summit also marked her sixth meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In February 2023, Harris accused Russia of crimes against humanity for its war in Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference, saying the aggressor must be held responsible for their "barbaric" war operations.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst said that a Harris presidency would likely maintain the same policy towards Ukraine demonstrated by the Biden administration. He added that regardless of the outcome of the November vote, there are still six months left in Biden's term.

Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky, have stressed that Kyiv will continue to cooperate productively with any U.S. administration, regardless of the outcome of the November election.

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The Kyiv IndependentOwen Racer