The Russian-Ukrainian war continues despite months of negotiations, as neither side is currently ready to sign a peace agreement. This was stated by US Vice President J. D. Vance in an interview with Newsmax TV.
“No matter how energetically the US president engages in diplomacy, ultimately both sides need to be ready to conclude an agreement. And right now, neither the Russians nor the Ukrainians are at that stage,” Vance said.
He noted that a peaceful settlement is still possible, but “a lot of work still needs to be done” to achieve it. According to the vice president, there is a “fundamental mismatch of expectations” between the parties, as Moscow overestimates its successes on the battlefield, which complicates the progress of negotiations.
Despite this, Vance acknowledged that there has been some progress recently, which, according to him, was made possible by Donald Trump’s diplomatic approach.
“President Trump’s approach is energetic diplomacy, empowering people on the ground and allowing them to seek unconventional solutions to reach an agreement. And that’s what has started to work,” he said.
Vance added that Trump is personally working with India and China to reduce Russian oil revenues and increase economic pressure on Moscow.
The vice president also said that tariffs have proven to be more effective than sanctions as a tool to influence Russia:
“Sanctions have been tried for decades, and they don’t deliver the desired results. Tariff policy, on the other hand, has proven to be an effective means of negotiation.“
Vance acknowledged that the process of reaching agreements requires patience: ”Yes, it’s sometimes frustrating. Yes, Trump is sometimes impatient. But he is convinced that he can reach a peace agreement — the only question is how long it will take.”