U.S. Vice President JD Vance said it’s unlikely that any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine will fully satisfy either side. He added that the U.S. is aiming for an agreement both countries can live with, even if neither is happy.
“It’s not going to make anyone very happy. Both Russia and Ukraine will probably be unhappy with it in the end,” Vance said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to Meet on August 15
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. He said Russia and Ukraine were close to a ceasefire deal that could end the three-and-a-half-year war, but it might require Ukraine to give up some territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded on Saturday, saying Ukraine’s constitution does not allow giving away territory. “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupiers,” he said.
In his interview, recorded Friday, Vance said the U.S. is trying to arrange talks between Putin, Zelenskiy, and Trump, but he didn’t think Putin should meet Zelenskiy before speaking with Trump. “We’re now working on scheduling a time when all three leaders can sit down and discuss ending this conflict,” he said.
Donald Trump Wants to Meet Only Putin – For Now
A White House official later said Trump is open to meeting both leaders together, but for now, the focus is on the one-on-one meeting requested by Putin.
Meanwhile, Trump’s decision to meet Putin without including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn widespread criticism from across diplomatic circles.
This has long been a concern for Kyiv and many European allies — that Trump and Putin could attempt to strike a deal without Ukraine’s participation. French President Emmanuel Macron echoed that sentiment on X, writing that Ukraine’s future “cannot be decided without the Ukrainians” and warning that “Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake.
Also Read: Donald Trump to Meet Vladimir Putin: Is a US-Backed Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Next? What We Know
