JD Vance says Americans 'done' with Ukraine war cost as Putin-Zelensky meeting hints grow
Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin may meet face-to-face for the first time since Russia's invasion this week.
Putin is set to attend a summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, and the US President is reportedly considering inviting the Ukrainian leader. A senior US official told NBC News it is "absolutely" possible after Mr Zelensky warned against shutting him out of peace negotiations.
In an interview that screened on Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance said Americans are "done" paying to support Ukraine. And he said neither side is likely to be happy with a peace deal. It comes after NATO scrambled warplanes as Russia shoots down West's F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine onslaught.
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Mr Vance told Fox News in an interview filmed last Thursday: 'We want to bring about a peaceful settlement to this thing. We want to stop the killing.
"But Americans, I think, are sick of continuing to send their money, their tax dollars, to this particular conflict. But if the Europeans want to step up and actually buy the weapons from American producers, we're okay with that. But we're not going to fund it ourselves anymore.'
He said Mr Trump "needs to force President Putin and President Zelensky to sit down to figure out their differences". He admitted that a deal to end the war is "not going to make anybody super happy", adding: "Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it."
A White House official yesterday(SUN) told the Associated Press that Mr Trump is open to Mr Zelensky joining his meeting with Putin.
The Ukrainian President said that excluding his country from vital talks will only result in "dead solutions". After being backed by European leaders including Keir Starmer - who signed a statement of solidarity - Mr Zelensky said: "The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people."
Last week Mr Trump suggested a peace deal may include "some swapping of territories" - sparking fears that Kyiv could be pressured into giving up land or other concessions.
Saturday's statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK, stressed the need for a "just and lasting peace" for Kyiv, including "robust and credible" security guarantees. "Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities," the statement said.
"The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force," the Europeans added.
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