The US Vice President J.D. Vance said that Russia is demanding "too much" during peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
He said this during the Munich Security Conference in Washington, Politico reports.
Vance said the United States is now focusing on a long-term resolution to the war, as Russia has rejected a US call for a 30-day ceasefire. Moscow has said such a temporary pause is not in its strategic interests, as it would allow Ukraine to regroup.
But he stressed that Russia will likely have to make concessions — a sign that the Trump administration is ready for a more aggressive policy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, Politico notes.
"The Russians are demanding a certain set of demands, a certain set of concessions to end the conflict. We believe they are demanding too much," Vance said.
He says that Ukraineʼs position on this issue is also important, so the US is trying to understand Ukraineʼs demands in order to start negotiations to end the war. The next step is to reach an agreement on direct talks between Ukraine and Russia.
"We would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to agree on some basic principles of how to sit down and talk to each other. Thatʼs the next big step that we would like to take," the US vice president says.
Vance said the gap between Russia and Ukraineʼs demands remains large. So the parties need to agree on demands among themselves. He acknowledges that the United States cannot mediate on this issue without at least some direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Vance said the United States is “disappointed” with both sides because during direct talks, Russia and Ukraine “spend at least 30 minutes talking about the historical background” of the war. He said that “wars have a historical basis,” but to end the conflict, it is necessary to “move forward”.
Ceasefire negotiations
Washington is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but a true ceasefire is still in sight. Kyiv has already agreed to halt hostilities in the Black Sea and not attack Russian energy facilities during a 30-day ceasefire. Moscow, in return, has only promised not to attack energy facilities and said it would implement agreements on the Black Sea only after Western sanctions are lifted.
Previously, Donald Trump threatened to impose large-scale sanctions against Russia, including banking sanctions and new tariffs, unless there is a ceasefire and a peace agreement with Ukraine.
Marco Rubio said after meeting with allies in Paris on April 18 that the United States could end its mediation efforts in Ukraine within days if it does not see clear signs of a peace deal. Trump confirmed his words the same day.
On the evening of April 27, Trump made it clear for the third time in a week that he was dissatisfied with Russiaʼs position. And Rubio reiterated the day before that Washington may abandon attempts at a peaceful settlement if Moscow and Kyiv do not make progress. In that case, Russia may face increased sanctions.
The US Vice President J.D. Vance said he understands that there is a "very large gap" between Ukraine and Russia in terms of their vision for ending the war. Therefore, in the next 100 days, the Donald Trump administration will work to "try to bring these sides closer together".
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