Vice President Vance said Wednesday that the Trump administration believes Russia is “asking for too much” in peace talks to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
Vance addressed the Munich Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., and offered insight into the Trump administration’s efforts to help broker an end to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine.
“I wouldn’t say that the Russians are uninterested in bringing this thing to a resolution,” Vance said. “What I would say is, right now the Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much.”
Vance said the administration was appreciative of Ukraine’s willingness to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, but such an agreement was not palatable to Russia, so talks are no longer focused on such a pause.
The vice president echoed what other administration officials have said in recent weeks, which is that President Trump and his top aides may step back from a mediating role if there is not tangible progress on stopping the fighting.
“We would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another,” Vance said Wednesday. “Obviously, the United States is happy to participate in those conversations, but it’s very important for the Russians and Ukrainians to start talking to one another. We think that is the next big step we would like to take.”
The vice president added he is “not yet a pessimist” on peace talks producing results.
Vance was at the center of an explosive Oval Office meeting in late February with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the vice president suggested Zelensky had been ungrateful for U.S. support.
Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after amassing troops along the border. The Biden administration and U.S. allies provided billions of dollars in military and financial aid for Ukraine in its fight and hit Russia with sanctions.
Trump has focused on ending the war. But he has left the future of U.S. support for Ukraine in the war in doubt, even as he has criticized Russia for its continued strikes on Ukrainian cities and suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin could be stringing him along.
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