Vice President JD Vance is still sure that the United States can negotiate the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine despite the possible hangers that have emerged from the meeting of President Donald Trump this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We believe that we have already seen some significant concessions on both sides, only in recent weeks,” Vance said in an exclusive interview about “Meet The Press” by NBC News.
Vance also intervened in a Russian missile strike in western Ukraine during the night on Thursday that arrived at an electronic products factory owned by a headquarters in the United States. Asked by moderator Kristen Welker if he was “enraged” by the strike, which the company said he injured several workers, Vance turned to a critique of former President Joe Biden.
“I don’t like it,” Vance said about the assault. “But this is a war, and that is why we want economic murder
Trump told journalists on Friday that he was not happy with attacks in western Ukraine and indicated that any peace agreement between countries could be weeks away.
“I think in the next two weeks, we will discover how it will go,” Trump said.
During his interview with “Meet The Press”, Vance did not characterize the strike, and a series of other problems, such as long -term obstacles to peace, saying that there was still a lot of space for negotiation.
“Eventually we will succeed, or we will hit a brick wall. And if we hit a brick wall, then we will continue this negotiation process, to apply leverage,” Vance added. “This is the energetic diplomacy that will close this war.”
Welker then asked Vance what is the pressure on Russia if the United States is not “imposing new sanctions.”
“How do you take a place to get to the table with Zelenskyy and stop to release bombs?” She asked.
Vance responded by saying that Trump has applied an “aggressive economic leverage,” as “secondary tariffs in India, to try to make Russians enrich themselves from their oil economy.”
When Welker asked him if he could guarantee that the United States would not send troops to help enforce any peace agreement, Vance reaffirmed Trump’s opposition to such deployment.
“The president has been very clear,” said Vance. “There will be no boots in the field in Ukraine. But we will continue to play an active role in trying to ensure that Ukrainians have the security guarantees and trust they need to stop the war on their part and that the Russians feel that they can bring war to a conclusion of their end.”
The interview, which was broadcast on Sunday, occurs in the midst of new and high tensions in the effort to end the war.
On Friday, Russia’s main diplomat told NBC News that meetings between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had not been scheduled, which raised more doubts about Trump’s ability to mediate the conflict.
Meanwhile, the details about the security guarantees for Ukraine, and the role of Russia in their configuration, remain unresolved.
In the interview, Vance said he does not believe that Russians are chaining Trump.
“I think the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in 3 and a half years of this conflict,” he added. “They have actually been willing to be flexible with some of their main demands. They have talked about what would be necessary to end the war.”
Trump, Vance added, intensified the efforts to negotiate a diplomatic solution “because this war is not of interest. It is not in Europe or in the interest of the United States.”
Although he recognized some of the obstacles that have appeared since Trump’s meeting on August 15 with Putin in Alaska, Vance expressed optimism that persistence would give results.
“There are hills and valleys for negotiations,” Vance said. “Sometimes we feel that we have progressed a lot with the Russians, and sometimes, as the president has said, he has been very frustrated with the Russians. We will continue doing what we have to do to close this.
Putin has rejected the calls, even Trump before his recent meeting, for a high fire.
“I didn’t say they granted above all,” Vance said in the interview, referring to Russia. “But what they have admitted is the recognition that Ukraine will have territorial integrity after the war. They have recognized that they will not be able to install a puppet regime in kyiv … have all the concessions made? Of course. [shouldn’t have]But we are progressing. “
When asked about disagreements around how involved Russia will be in the establishment of security guarantees for Ukraine, Vance said that “there is a bit of talking to each other here.”
“First, we are not talking about security guarantees until the war has come to an end,” said Vance. “And, of course, the Russians will be part of the conversation about bringing that war closer. Then, of course, they will have some participation in this.”
The interview with Vance also touched several national issues, including the new Maps of the Congress approved by the House of Texas Representatives controlled by the Republicans who could fill in the majority of the Republican Party up to five seats. The problem has become a political inflammation point, with California Democrats who prepare reprisal movements and other states with the aim of redrawing maps as well.
“Everything we are doing, frankly, is trying to make the situation a bit fairer nationwide,” Vance said about the efforts of the Republican Party. “Democrats have cheated their states in a really aggressive way. We believe there are opportunities to reject that, and that is really everything we are doing.”
On the subject of his own political ambitions, Vance again avoided questions about whether he sees himself as the apparent Trump heir in 2028, when the president is limited to term.
“I see myself as a vice president who is trying to do a good job for the American people … and if I do a good job, and if the president continues to succeed, as I know he will be, politics will take care of herself,” Vance said. “We can cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Welker asked if Vance has discussed the possibility with Trump.
“As you know, the president speaks about everything, and if he is in the news, the president and I have discussed it,” Vance replied. “But I think the president focuses on doing a good job for the American people. He wants me to concentrate on doing a good job for the American people. That’s what I will continue doing.”
