Vice Presidential Pool Reports of February 17, 2024

Travel pool #1 VP trip to Munich

The VP motorcade departed the RON at 10:55 a.m. en route to the conference hotel, where she is scheduled to meet with Olaf Scholz. Your pool has not laid eyes on her yet.

Here is her schedule:

At 11:15 am CET, the Vice President will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany. This meeting at Hotel Bayerischer Hof will have a photo spray at the top and is open to pooled press and pre-credentialed media.

At 12:30 pm CET, The Vice President will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. This meeting at the Commerzbank will have a photo spray at the top and is open to pooled press and pre-credentialed media.

At 1:30 pm CET/7:30 am ET, Vice President and President Zelenskyy will deliver remarks to press. These remarks will be pooled press, open to pre-credentialed media and livestreamed on WhiteHouse.Gov/Live.

At 4:20 pm CET, the Vice President will depart Munich, Germany en route to Washington, DC. This departure from Munich International Airport will be pooled press.

At 7:40 pm ET, the Vice President will arrive at Joint Base Andrews. This arrival in Washington, DC will be pooled press.

Travel pool #2 VP trip to Munich

The motorcade arrived at the conference hotel at 11:06 am local time.

Travel pool #3 VP trip to Munich

VP Harris and Chancellor Scholz entered the room at the hotel and posed for pictures. Scholz prompted VP to shake hands which they did and then exited without saying a word.

Behind them were US, German and EU flags. A long conference table with room for about a dozen on each side was set up with purple flowers and pots of coffee.

Your pool is now being ushered to a hold while they meet.

Travel pool #4 VP trip to Munich

The VP and President Zelensky held a three-minute pool spray in room at the bank across the street from the conference hotel, but took no questions. The VP stressed that support from her and POTUS "is unyielding and unending" and praised Zelensky for "your courage and your determination." (Full remarks below.)

Zelensky thanked her, Biden and the American people for their support and stressed the importance of "bipartisan support" before alluding to the partisan split now holding up further security aid in the House. "But we need now your unity during such a challenging period for us — and of course, in the United States, challenging period, we understand everything."

The two sat on opposite sides of a long conference table. The VP was flanked by six aides, three on each side. Zelensky had five aides on his side.

VP: "President Zelensky, it's good to see you again. I'm remembering the last time you and I were together in this very room. Do you remember? Yes, exactly in this room, two years ago, five days before Russia's unprovoked, unwarranted and brutal invasion of your country. But it is good to see you again. The last time I saw you was in the White House. I gave a speech yesterday in which I said publicly what I had – and the president, President Biden said to you many times: We stand with Ukraine. We have stood with Ukraine since day one and I was honored in particular to talk about you as a leader and your courage and your determination. You and I have had many conversations over these past two years and you have shown extraordinary courage – and accomplishment on the battlefield. And it has been a source of our pride and our commitment to democracy and to democratic principles to support you in every way we possibly can. And our support is unyielding and unending. The president and I have a firm and solid commitment to you and the Ukrainian people. So it is good to see you again."

Zelensky: "Thanks so much. Happy to see you Madam Vice President. You mention our meeting some days before invasion of Russian terrorists and you mention very important thing, that you've been with us from the first days of full-scale war, and we are very thankful, not only from me and my team, first of all, from all our people, are thankful to you, to people of the United States, your society, great society, and to President Biden, his team and of course bipartisan support, we are thankful for this. But we need now your unity during such a challenging period for us and of course in the United States, challenging period, we understand everything. We are happy that you are leaders of support. We have to continue it and today we will focus on some questions like defense frozen assets, security issues and micro-financial assistance. Thank you so much. We are very happy we have such strategic partners. Thank you so much."

A joint press conference is to follow the meeting.

(Thanks so much to Asma Khalid for sharing her clear recording.)

Travel pool #5 VP trip to Munich

Two-minute warning for Harris-Zelensky joint news conference. It will be live streamed on the White House site: https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

Travel pool #6 VP trip to Munich

The VP and President Zelensky held a joint news conference with one question per side focused mainly on the impasse in Washington over security aid.

Zelensky called the aid question "the key issue for us" and expressed faith that Congress would come through. "We are counting on this positive decision of the Congress," he said. "For us, this package is vital. We do not currently look into alternatives because we are counting on the United States as our strategic partner."

The VP said there is no Plan B if Congress does not approve aid. "There's only Plan A, which is to ensure that Ukraine receives what it needs." She emphasized that if the aid package made it to the House floor, it would pass with a bipartisan majority. "We must use everything that is available to us to support Ukraine in this fight," she said.

She said: "History shows us if we allow an aggressor like Putin to take land with impunity they keep going. The other would be aggressors become emboldened." Will try to send more quotes.

As always, please check transcript when possible.

Travel pool #7 VP trip to Munich

VP's motorcade departed at 3:35 pm local bound for the airport.

Travel pool #8 VP trip to Munich

More quotes from the presser.

Harris re congressional aid debate:

"We must be unwavering and we cannot play political games. Political gamesmanship has no role to play in what is fundamentally about the significance of standing with an ally as it endures an unprovoked aggression. Politics should play no role in standing for the fact that Vladimir Putin through his leadership of Russia has shown himself to be fundamentally hostile to democratic principles."

"There is bipartisan support for this approach. There is bipartisan support for what America is and what we stand for. And we are unwavering and that nothing to do with an election cycle. It has to do with who we are and what kind of country we want to be, one that stands with our friends."

Zelensky:

"We shall be together in the future, Ukraine and the United States, and all of our partners, we shall continue to build up our security, achieve joint results, to increase our resilience against Russian aggression and each day prove to Putin that his hatred towards people, hatred towards freedom will never prevail over our unity, unity of the free world."

"Of course, the key issue for us now is the preservation of principal American support. Ukraine and all our warriors need and await the respective positive vote regarding the assistance package and I think everybody understands how much depends on this single voting procedure."

Plus one small fix to Harris quote sent previously:

"History shows us if we allow an aggressor like Putin to take land with impunity, they keep going. The other would be aggressors THEN become emboldened."

Travel pool #9 VP trip to Munich

The motorcade reached the airport at 4:15 p.m. The VP shook hands with Woodward Clark, the DCM, took a picture with staff who helped out during the trip and then boarded without taking further questions. We're now rolling for takeoff at 4:40 p.m.

Travel pool #10 VP trip to Munich

Air Force Two touched down at Andrews at 7:55 pm. No news from the flight. The VP disembarked and boarded Marine Two, which was wheels up at 8:14 pm.

And that's it for us. Thanks to a great team of fellow poolers for all the help and collegiality. And happy birthday again Jobie!

Have a great rest of the holiday weekend.