STORY: :: Vance says Russia and Ukraine must talk directly to end the war
:: May 7, 2025
:: Washington, D.C.
:: JD Vance, U.S. Vice President
“I think for too long, the Russians, the Ukrainians have been fighting. Obviously, there’s been a lot of people dying on both sides, there have been a lot of innocent loss of life. And our view is it’s absurd that you’ve had this war go on for so long and the two sides aren’t even talking constructively about what would be necessary for them to end the conflict. // I wouldn’t say that the Russians are uninterested in bringing this thing to a resolution. What I would say is, right now, the Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much, okay. And then, obviously, the Ukrainians matter a lot. They’re the other side, they’re the other party, at least, to the direct conflict. And we have to ask what is the Ukrainian, what do they need in order to bring this conflict to a successful completion? And we’re going to continue to have that conversation.”