Less than a week after former President Donald Trump said he “would not protect” NATO countries from Russia if they had not met their financial obligations, Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday the alliance is central to global security and that the United States would be “foolish” to turn its back on its allies.

Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, Harris did not mention Trump by name, but it was clear the former president was, at least in part, the target of many of her remarks.

“I know that there are questions here in Europe and around the world about the future of America's role of global leadership,” she said. “These are questions the American people must also ask ourselves — whether it is in America's interest to continue to engage with the world or to turn inward, whether it is in our interest to defend longstanding rules and norms that have provided for unprecedented peace and prosperity or to allow them to be trampled.”

Harris said she believes the United States is stronger and its people are safer when it acts as a global leader.

“However, there are some in the United States who disagree,” she said. “They suggest it is in the best interest of the American people to isolate ourselves from the world, to flout common understandings among nations, to embrace dictators and adopt the repressive tactics and abandon commitments to our allies in favor of unilateral action. Let me be clear: that worldview is dangerous, destabilizing and indeed short-sighted. That view would weaken America and would undermine global stability and undermine global prosperity.”

During a campaign event Saturday in South Carolina, Trump said he would “encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that have not met their commitment of spending 2% of their gross domestic product on military readiness.

Trump also said all foreign aid from the United States should be “done as a loan.”

Harris, however, said the Biden administration’s commitment is “ironclad.”

“NATO is the greatest military alliance the world has ever known,” the vice president said, crediting it for deterring aggression over its 75 years and noting that allies came to the United States’ defense after the 9/11 terror attacks.

Harris then took two very pointed shots at Trump, saying: “Nevertheless, recall, before the president and I took office, some questioned the usefulness of NATO, suggested it was ‘obsolete.’ Some in my country also questioned the value of our commitment to NATO's collective defense and called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany.”

On multiple occasions, the former president has called NATO obsolete. He has reportedly discussed the possibility of withdrawing the U.S. from NATO if he’s elected again. In 2020, Trump ordered 12,000 American troops to be removed from Germany, which Biden blocked after he took office.

Harris’ remarks came as the second anniversary of the start of the Russia-Ukraine war approaches and on the same day Russian state media reported Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny died in prison.

The U.S. Senate passed a foreign aid bill this week that would provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel. It faces an uncertain fate in the House, where there has been a growing number of Republicans who oppose providing additional funding to Ukraine.

Harris applauded the European Union for recently approving $54 billion in aid to Kyiv and stressed that she and Biden “stand with Ukraine.” The vice president said they are working to “secure critical weapons and resources that Ukraine so badly needs.”

“And let me be clear, the failure to do so would be a gift to Vladimir Putin,” Harris said.

“I ask you, imagine if America turned our back on Ukraine and abandoned our NATO allies, and abandoned our treaty commitments,” she added. “Imagine if we went easy on Putin, let alone encouraged him. History offers a clue. If we stand by while an aggressor invades its neighbor with impunity, they will keep going. And in the case of Putin, that means all of Europe would be threatened. 

“If we fail to impose severe consequences on Russia, other authoritarians across the globe would be emboldened. Because, you see, they will be watching.”

On Navalny, Harris said the U.S. was still working to confirm his death. Navalny’s wife, Yulia, was at the conference, the vice president said. 

The Russian opposition leader had been imprisoned since January 2021 for fraud, contempt of court and extremism, charges he and his supporters said were politically motivated.

“My prayers are with his family, including his wife, Yulia, who is with us today,” Harris said. “And if confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin's brutality. Whatever story they tell, let us be clear, Russia is responsible.”