Vice President Vance signaled a firm stance on ongoing Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, suggesting that the U.S. may withdraw from the talks if they continue to stagnate.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a planned discussion between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vance outlined the administration’s growing skepticism over the dialogue’s effectiveness.
He stated that Trump intends to directly question Putin about his commitment to peace: “The talks have been proceeding for a little while. We realize there’s a bit of an impasse here,” Vance said. “And I think the president is going to say to President Putin, look, ‘Are you serious? Are you real about this?'”
Vance reiterated that Washington is prepared to abandon the negotiations if they yield no tangible results. “The United States is not going to spin its wheels here. We want to see outcomes,” he said, emphasizing that the U.S. is “more than open to walking away” from the peace efforts.
Expressing doubt about Russia’s intentions, Vance said he was uncertain whether Putin had a clear path toward ending the conflict. While he acknowledged Trump’s willingness to overcome longstanding distrust between Russia and the West, he noted, “that takes two to tango.”
Vance underscored that while efforts will be made to resolve the war, patience is not unlimited: “We’re going to try to end it, but if we can’t end it, we’re eventually going to say, ‘You know what? That was worth a try, but we’re not doing it anymore,'” he said.
Achieving peace in Ukraine was a central theme of Trump’s campaign, although he recently conceded that his earlier vow to end the war on the first day of his presidency had been “an exaggeration.”
