US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Sunday he remains confident in the ability of the United States to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, despite recent obstacles, and reiterated that Washington would not send American troops to the country as part of any potential peace agreement.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Vance said he believed Russia had “made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of conflict.”
“They have actually shown a willingness to be flexible on some of their core demands and have talked about what it would take to end the war,” he said, adding that Trump had “stepped up his efforts to negotiate a diplomatic solution, because this war is in no one’s interest, not Europe’s, and not the United States’.”
While Vance acknowledged that several obstacles had emerged since President Donald Trump’s 15 August summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, he expressed optimism that “perseverance will yield results.” His comments came despite Russia’s announcement that there were currently no plans for a meeting between Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which Trump has been trying to arrange.
“There are ups and downs in negotiations,” Vance said. “Sometimes we feel we’ve made a lot of progress with the Russians, and sometimes, as the President has said, we are very frustrated with the Russians. We will continue to do what we’re doing to bring the two sides closer together. I don’t think this will happen overnight… but ultimately, whether the killing stops depends on whether the Russians and Ukrainians can reach a compromise.”
Regarding Russia’s rejection of ceasefire demands, including from President Trump, Vance said: “I didn’t say they conceded everything, but they have acknowledged that Ukraine will be a unified country after the war and that they will not be able to install a client regime in Kyiv. Have they made every possible concession? Of course not. Should they have started the war? Of course not. But we are making progress.”
No US troops to Ukraine
Vance reaffirmed President Trump’s opposition to sending US troops to Ukraine. “The President has been very clear. There will be no boots on the ground in Ukraine,” he said. “But we will continue to play an active role in trying to ensure that the Ukrainians get the security guarantees and the confidence they need to stop the war on their side, and that the Russians feel they can end the war.”
“Either we ultimately succeed, or we hit a wall. And if we hit a wall, we will continue the process of negotiation and exercising leverage. This is the active diplomacy that will lead to an end to this war,” Vance added.
He expressed his displeasure over recent Russian missile strikes in Ukraine, including the bombing of an American electronics factory in the west of the country, but did not consider them “long-term obstacles” to peace, noting that there was ample room for negotiation.
“I don’t like it, but this is a war, and that’s why we want to stop the killing,” Vance said. “The Russians have done a lot of things we don’t like. A lot of civilians have been killed. We have condemned that from the beginning… What makes me angry is that the war continues.”
Putin’s demands
Three senior sources familiar with Kremlin discussions told Reuters that Putin is demanding Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region in the east, abandon its ambitions to join NATO, remain neutral, and not allow any Western troops into the country. The report provided a detailed account of the offer Putin made to Trump at the Alaska summit.
On Friday, Trump told reporters he would make his decision on the war within two weeks. “I am not happy with the efforts being made for peace,” he said, adding: “I think in the next two weeks, we will know where things are going.”
Trump also showed reporters a photo of himself with Putin, which he pulled from his desk drawer during an announcement about the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw. “This was sent to me by somebody who very much wants to be here,” Trump said. “He was very respectful of me and our country, but he hasn’t been so respectful of others.”