Vice President JD Vance mentioned Sunday that Russia has made “vital concessions” in talks to finish its struggle with Ukraine however did not rule out imposing extra sanctions to stress the Kremlin towards peace.
In an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Vance was requested if Russia is stringing President Donald Trump alongside, Vance mentioned no and mentioned the Russians have been “versatile” on a few of its calls for.
“I believe the Russians have made vital concessions to President Trump for the primary time in 3 1/2 years of this battle. They’ve really been prepared to be versatile on a few of their core calls for. They’ve talked about what can be obligatory to finish the struggle,” he mentioned. “In fact, they have not been fully there but, or the struggle can be over. However we’re participating on this diplomatic course of in good religion.”
“We generally really feel like we have made nice progress with the Russians, and generally, because the president has mentioned, he is been very annoyed with the Russians,” Vance continued.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance converse after asserting the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw shall be held on the Kennedy Middle in December 2025, within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, August 22, 2025.
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The vice chairman was pressed on why he believes Russia desires to pursue peace provided that it has rejected the ceasefire proposal that Trump put ahead and that there is no deliberate assembly between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Properly, I did not say they conceded on every part,” he replied. “However what they’ve conceded is the popularity that Ukraine may have territorial integrity after the struggle. They’ve acknowledged that they don’t seem to be going to have the ability to set up a puppet regime in Kyiv. That was, in fact, a serious demand firstly. And importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there’s going to be some safety assure to the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Vance advised NBC that extra sanctions in opposition to Russia are doable, however these choices can be made on a case-by-case foundation.
“No, sanctions aren’t off the desk. However we will make these determinations on a case-by-case foundation. What do we expect is definitely going to exert the correct of leverage to deliver the Russians to the desk,” Vance mentioned.
In a separate interview taped Friday and aired Sunday on “Meet the Press,” Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov was requested what he would say to U.S. lawmakers who’ve accused Russia of stringing Trump alongside, Lavrov mentioned that Russia respects the U.S. president.
“It isn’t for the lawmakers or for any media outlet to, to determine, you understand, what President Trump is motivated by — we respect President Trump as a result of President Trump defends American nationwide pursuits,” Lavrov mentioned.
The Russian international minister mentioned it’s European leaders who met with Trump and Zelenskyy final week in Washington and never Putin which are an obstacle to getting a peace settlement.
“And I’ve cause to imagine that President Trump respects President Putin as a result of he defends Russian nationwide pursuits,” he added. “And no matter they focus on between themselves will not be a secret. We would like peace in Ukraine. He desires, President Trump desires, peace in Ukraine. The response to Anchorage assembly, the gathering in Washington of those European representatives and what they had been doing after Washington signifies that they do not need peace.”
Lavrov advised NBC there isn’t a scheduled assembly between Putin and Zelenskyy as Trump has pushed for, saying that there must be an agenda first earlier than something is finalized.
Zelenskyy mentioned Friday there shall be no assembly between the presidents as a result of Russia would not need to finish the struggle.
Russia’s International Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a joint press convention with India’s International Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar following their talks at Zinaida Morozova’s Mansion in Moscow, Russia August 21, 2025.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool through Reuters
“The difficulty isn’t just the assembly. The difficulty is that they do not need to finish the struggle,” he mentioned. “A bilateral assembly is likely one of the elements of how you can finish the struggle. It is not all, it is one of many elements. And since they do not need to finish it, they’ll search for house for it. And this house must be lowered. America and Europe in unity cut back this house for struggle.”
U.S. and European protection officers have mentioned safety assurances for Ukraine to forestall additional Russian aggression, however few particulars have been emerged.
NATO Secretary-Common Mark Rutte was in Ukraine on Friday to put out a framework for safety ensures for Ukraine with Zelenskyy.
“The primary layer needs to be for Ukrainian armed forces to be as robust as doable to defend this proud nation and nation going ahead,” Rutte mentioned, saying that may come after a peace deal or “long-term ceasefire.”
He added, “And the second layer needs to be the safety ensures supplied by Europe and the US.”
Vance reaffirmed Trump’s earlier feedback that there shall be no U.S. troops on the bottom in Ukraine as an element safety ensures.
“The president’s been very clear. There usually are not going to be boots on the bottom in Ukraine, however we’re going to proceed to play an lively function in attempting to make sure that the Ukrainians have the safety ensures and the arrogance they should cease the struggle on their finish,” he mentioned.
Requested about feedback Putin made in June, saying, “I contemplate the Russian and Ukrainian individuals to be one nation. On this sense, all of Ukraine is ours,” and whether or not Ukraine has a proper to exist, Lavrov replied, “Ukraine has the appropriate to exist, supplied it should let individuals go.”
“The individuals whom they name ‘terrorists,’ who they name species and who throughout a referenda – a number of referenda in Novorossiya, in Donbas, in Crimea determined that they belong to the Russian tradition and the federal government which got here to energy because of the coup was decided as a precedence to exterminate every part Russian,” Lavrov mentioned.
Zelenskyy has lengthy opposed surrendering sovereign territory to Russia, saying the nation’s structure forbids it.
Lavrov additionally pushed again when requested to acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine, saying, “Russia began particular navy operation to defend the individuals who Zelenskyy and his predecessor didn’t contemplate as people.”
