U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that the Trump administration is not pressuring Russia to join peace talks with Ukraine. He made this statement on March 4.
Vance was asked if Washington was pushing Moscow harder than Kyiv to come to the negotiating table. He replied, “Well, I don’t think that’s right, actually.” He added that sanctions against Russia are hurting its economy.
This came as the U.S. froze military aid for Ukraine in an attempt to pressure it into talks with Russia. This decision was made after a public dispute between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump administration officials.
The U.S. has been trying to get Russia and Ukraine to talk. They held two rounds of bilateral talks last month. The White House is considering easing some sanctions against Russia as part of a peace process.
Vance said that it’s in the best interest of all parties – Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine – to end the conflict. He added that applying pressure on both sides to stop the fighting is what Trump’s policy aims for.
Trump recently addressed Congress and reiterated his desire to end the war quickly. However, he made no mention of the aid freeze or putting pressure on Russia.
