Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that Russia has made “significant concessions” in ongoing talks aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement in its war with Ukraine, expressing confidence that progress is being made even though no breakthrough has yet been achieved.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker,” Vance said Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to several concessions, including allowing for security guarantees intended to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression.
“I think the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict,” Vance said in comments aired on Sunday.
He added: “They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv. That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning. And importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Ukraine’s security should be guaranteed by a group of nations, including members of the United Nations Security Council.
On Friday, President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to impose sanctions on Russia if no progress is made toward a peace settlement within two weeks, signaling growing frustration with Moscow following his recent meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Vance said sanctions would be weighed on a case-by-case basis, while acknowledging that additional penalties were unlikely on their own to persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
Vance cited Trump’s recent decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods — in response to New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil — as an example of the kind of economic pressure the administration intends to use in pursuit of peace.
“He’s tried to make it clear that Russia can be re-invited into the world economy if they stop the killing, but they’re going to continue to be isolated if they don’t stop the killing,” Vance said.
