Vance outlines changed US strategy on Ukraine
US Vice President J.D. Vance has expressed doubts regarding a Ukraine-supported 30-day ceasefire in the conflict with Russia, saying that Washington is instead focused on shaping a durable peace agreement with Moscow.
Ukraine had floated a one-month ceasefire as a counter to Russia's 72-hour truce proposal to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
However, Moscow has rejected Kiev's plan, arguing that Ukrainian troops, which have been on the backfoot for months, would use it to regroup and strengthen their military posture.
Speaking at the Munich Leaders Meeting on Wednesday, Vance stressed that the US remains interested in a 'long-term settlement' of the conflict rather than a short-term one. 'We've tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day ceasefire and more on the what would the long-term settlement look like? And we've tried to consistently advance the ball,' the vice president said.
Vance also noted that the US has deemed Moscow's initial negotiation proposals as excessive. 'Certainly, the first peace offer that the Russians put on the table, our reaction to it was you're asking for too much,' he said. 'But this is how negotiations unfold.'
Vance added that US President Donald Trump is prepared to abandon negotiations if there is no progress, urging Moscow and Kiev to engage in diplomacy. 'We would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another.'
Russia has repeatedly said it is open to talks with Kiev but noted that Ukraine has low credibility, especially when it comes to honoring ceasefire commitments. Moscow's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused Ukraine of sabotaging earlier efforts on this front, including a US-brokered 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure and a Moscow-backed Easter truce.
In light of this, she noted that Russia would view Ukraine's conduct during the 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire, which went into effect on Thursday, as a test of good faith. Moscow earlier described the initiative as a humanitarian gesture and a move to pave the way for direct peace talks with Ukraine without preconditions.
Meanwhile, Trump appeared to support the three-day ceasefire, noting that it 'doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot, if you know where we started from.'
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