Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that Russia has made “significant concessions” in ongoing diplomatic talks to end the war in Ukraine, suggesting a shift in Moscow’s stance for the first time since the conflict began more than three years ago. However, he also made clear that the U.S. is not ruling out further sanctions if needed to push Russia toward a peace agreement.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Vance pushed back against suggestions that Russia is manipulating former President Donald Trump, who is leading the current U.S. diplomatic push. “The Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in 3½ years of this conflict,” Vance said. “They’ve actually been willing to be flexible on some of their core demands.”
He cited Russia’s recognition of Ukraine’s post-war territorial integrity and abandonment of its initial goal to install a puppet regime in Kyiv as examples of this flexibility. “That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning,” Vance said. “And importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Still, he acknowledged that negotiations are far from over. “They haven’t been completely there yet, or the war would be over. But we’re engaging in this diplomatic process in good faith,” he added.
Pressed on whether the U.S. could impose new sanctions on Moscow, Vance responded, “Sanctions aren’t off the table. But we’re going to make these determinations on a case-by-case basis. What do we think is actually going to exert the right kind of leverage to bring the Russians to the table?”
Russia Signals Willingness for Peace — on Its Terms
In a separate interview also aired on Meet the Press, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is committed to achieving peace but placed blame on European leaders, not President Zelenskyy or Putin, for obstructing progress.
“We respect President Trump because President Trump defends American national interests,” Lavrov said. He added, “I have reason to believe that President Trump respects President Putin because he defends Russian national interests.” Lavrov said any discussion between the two leaders was “not a secret” and that both “want peace in Ukraine.”
However, he made no commitment to a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, which Trump has reportedly pushed for, stating that “there needs to be an agenda first.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed such talk, saying Friday that Russia “doesn’t want to end the war” and that “a bilateral meeting is one of the components of how to end the war. It’s not all it’s one. And since they don’t want to end it, they will avoid that space.”
Disputed Narratives and Security Guarantees
Lavrov, in comments that echo earlier Russian justifications for the war, refused to acknowledge the 2022 invasion of Ukraine as such, instead referring to it as a “special military operation” to protect Russian-speaking populations. He reiterated claims that referenda held in Russian-occupied areas were expressions of those regions’ desire to rejoin Russia, a view widely rejected by Ukraine and its Western allies as illegitimate.
Zelenskyy has consistently ruled out any deal that would involve ceding sovereign Ukrainian territory, citing the Ukrainian constitution and popular opposition.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv last week, discussing a two-layered approach to future security guarantees for Ukraine: a strong domestic defense and long-term guarantees from the U.S. and Europe. “The first layer has to be for Ukrainian armed forces to be as strong as possible… and the second layer has to be the security guarantees,” Rutte said.
Vice President Vance confirmed that those guarantees would not include American troops on the ground. “There are not going to be boots on the ground in Ukraine,” he said. “But we are going to continue to play an active role in trying to ensure that the Ukrainians have the security guarantees and the confidence they need.”
Outlook Uncertain as Talks Continue
While both American and Russian officials claim to be pursuing peace, the substance of those efforts remains ambiguous. Vance’s remarks suggest movement in negotiations but stop short of indicating a breakthrough. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy remains skeptical of Russia’s intentions, and direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow appear unlikely in the near term.
As the war enters its fourth year, the U.S. administration under Trump’s foreign policy team is trying to recalibrate its approach. But fundamental disagreements remain over territory, sovereignty, and the future political alignment of Ukraine, leaving the prospects for lasting peace still uncertain.
