'Of course, Russians are going to be a part of it': US VP says Russia will have a seat at Ukraine security guarantee talks

US Vice President JD Vance has said Russia will be part of future talks on Ukraine’s security guarantees once the war ends. Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, he insisted that negotiations are making progress following President Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin earlier this month. “We believe we’ve already seen some significant concessions from both sides, just in the last few weeks,” Vance said.

The interview came after a Russian missile hit an electronics factory in western Ukraine owned by a US company. Several workers were injured. Asked if he was “enraged” by the strike, Vance replied, “I don’t like it. But this is a war, and this is why we want to stop the killing. The Russians have done a lot of things that we don’t like. A lot of civilians have died. We’ve condemned that stuff from the get-go.” He then criticised former president Joe Biden, saying Trump had “done more to apply pressure and to apply economic leverage to the Russians” than Biden ever had.

Trump hopeful peace deal could be weeks away

Trump told reporters on Friday that a possible deal could take shape soon. “I think over the next two weeks, we’re going to find out which way it’s going to go,” he said. Vance also said setbacks such as missile strikes should not be seen as permanent roadblocks. “We’re going to eventually be successful, or we’ll hit a brick wall,” he added.

Pressure without troops on the ground

Vance repeated that Trump would not send US forces to enforce any deal. “The president has been very clear. There are not going to be boots on the ground in Ukraine,” he said. Instead, he pointed to “aggressive economic leverage,” including secondary tariffs on India to restrict Russia’s oil revenues.

On Russia’s part in post-war security arrangements, Vance said, “We’re not talking about security guarantees until after the war has come to a close. And, of course, the Russians are going to be a part of the conversation about bringing that war to a close.” He claimed Moscow had already accepted that Ukraine would retain territorial integrity and that it would not be able to install a “puppet regime in Kyiv.”

“Have they made every concession? Of course, they haven’t. Should they have started the war? Of course they [shouldn’t have], but we’re making progress,” he said.

Trump and Vance keep talks alive

Despite frustrations on both sides, Vance insisted that Trump’s direct engagement with Putin has pushed the conflict closer to a possible settlement. “There are hills and valleys to the negotiations,” he said. “We sometimes feel like we’ve made great progress with the Russians, and sometimes … he’s been very frustrated with the Russians. We’re going to keep on doing what we have to do to bring this thing to a close,” he added.