US Vice President JD Vance has said that Russia has made “significant concessions” in talks regarding a potential settlement to its war in Ukraine, while also cautioning that there are no clear signs the conflict is nearing an end. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Vance stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shifted his position, notably by acknowledging that Ukraine will need security guarantees to protect against 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. According to him, Moscow has dropped its initial demand to install a pro-Russian government in Kyiv and, importantly, has recognized that Ukraine’s territorial integrity will need to be safeguarded.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, started a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. At the outset, Putin demanded recognition of Russian control over annexed territories, along with broader influence over Ukraine’s future political orientation. Sources told Reuters last week that in return for ending Russia’s attacks, Putin is now demanding that Ukraine give up the entire eastern Donbas region, renounce its ambitions to join NATO, remain neutral, and keep Western troops out of the country.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that a group of nations, including UN Security Council members, should be the guarantors of Ukraine’s security. On Friday, President Donald Trump renewed a threat to impose sanctions on Russia if there was no progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine within two weeks, signaling his frustration with Moscow a week after his meeting with Putin in Alaska.
Vance said sanctions would be considered on a case-by-case basis, acknowledging that new penalties were unlikely to prompt Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine. Vance pointed to Trump’s announcement this month of an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods as a punishment for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil as the kind of economic leverage that would be used in pursuit of peace. Vance concluded, “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.”
