Russia Vance accuses Zelensky of blocking peace talks
US Vice President J.D. Vance has accused Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky of not being ready for peace negotiations with Russia.
04.03.2025, 04:40
SDA
US President Donald Trump had clearly stated that the door was open for Zelensky if he was seriously prepared to talk about peace, Vance told US broadcaster Fox News in an interview. "You can't come into the Oval Office or anywhere else and refuse to even discuss the details of a peace agreement," the Republican criticized.
Vance describes meeting in the Oval Office
During Zelensky's most recent visit to the White House on Friday, an unprecedented scandal broke out in front of the cameras. Trump and Vance hurled accusations at Selensky at the press conference in the Oval Office. With regard to the meeting, Vance now claimed that he had tried to "defuse the situation a little".
The Republican had attacked Selensky before Trump and accused him of disrespect - an accusation he has now renewed. Selensky had previously tried to make it clear that diplomatic agreements with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 had achieved nothing and that Russia's president was not a reliable negotiating partner. Immediately after the meeting in the Oval Office was broken off, Zelensky's team asked to continue the conversation, Vance said. But Trump had refused.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for more than three years. Trump wants to reach a peace agreement between Kiev and Moscow - although the Ukrainian side is clearly dissatisfied with his approach, while there is explicit praise for Trump from Moscow.
"The only realistic way to bring this matter to a conclusion is President Trump's way. We encourage both President Zelensky and President Putin to take this path," Vance said in the interview. Trump wants to be in a position to enter into talks with Putin. No one is helped by publicly insulting Putin.
Vance: Hope is not a strategy
Vance went on to say that the American people did not want to finance the war "indefinitely". It was therefore in the interests of Ukraine, Russia, America and Europe to end the war. "Hoping that the tide will turn at some point is not a strategy. Pouring money into a terrible conflict for ammunition is not a strategy." The interview was recorded before it became known that the USA was suspending its military aid to Ukraine for the time being.
With regard to the security guarantees demanded by Selenskyj, Vance said that if you really want to ensure that Putin's army does not invade Ukraine again, the best security guarantee is to link the future of Ukraine with economic benefits for the USA. In recent weeks, Trump's administration has been working on a raw materials agreement with Ukraine, which included US access to rare earths stored in Ukraine.
