Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that Russia's initial peace proposal was “asking for too much,” as the U.S. pushes for a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a Washington forum hosted by the Munich Security Conference, Vance declined to detail Moscow’s demands but struck a more optimistic tone than President Donald Trump, who has recently expressed doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the conflict that began with the February 2022 invasion.
“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.”
Trump, when asked later Wednesday about the vice president's comments, told reporters at the White House, “Well, it’s possible that’s right.”
He implied that Vance might have details he didn’t, saying he had been preoccupied with other matters.
“We are getting to a point where some decisions are going to have to be made. I’m not happy about it,” Trump said of the peace effort.
Vance did not repeat any of the criticisms of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he had voiced during a February Oval Office confrontation. Instead, he acknowledged Ukraine's willingness to consider a 30-day cease-fire.
However, citing Russia’s rejection of that proposal, Vance said the U.S. would prefer to move forward with direct negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian leaders to reach a long-term settlement.
“What the Russians have said is, ‘A 30-day cease-fire is not in our strategic interests.’ So we’ve tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day cease-fire and focus more on what a long-term settlement would look like,” Vance said.
His remarks followed his appearance at the Munich Security Conference’s February summit in Germany, where he drew criticism for suggesting that free speech is “in retreat” across Europe.
Vance addressed those comments Wednesday, clarifying that they applied to the U.S. under Democratic President Joe Biden as well.
“It’s not ‘Europe bad, America good.’ It’s that I think both Europe and the U.S. got a little bit off track, and I encourage us all to get back on track together,” he said.
On the Middle East, Vance did not provide a timeline for expected U.S.-Iran talks over Iran's nuclear program. He reiterated the Trump administration’s position that the inspection and enforcement mechanisms in the 2015 nuclear deal, brokered under Democratic President Barack Obama, were “incredibly weak” and “allowed Iran to sort of stay on this glide path toward a nuclear weapon if they flip the switch and press go.”
“We think that there is a deal here that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy, that would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they can get a nuclear weapon. And that’s what we’re negotiating toward,” Vance said.
