US VP Vance says Zelenskyy needs “a serious proposal” to join talks
Pravda Ukraine
US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday, 3 March that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presents a “serious proposal” and if Ukraine is ready to engage, then the door to negotiations remains open.
Source: Vance in an interview with Fox News, cited by CNN and Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne
Details: CNN notes that Vance’s comments in the pre-recorded Fox News interview were made before the announcement of a pause in US military aid to Ukraine.
Quote from Vance: “He [Zelenskyy – ed.] showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process that President Trump has said is the policy of the American people and of their president.”
Details: When asked whether Zelenskyy could return to the White House if he stated his readiness to discuss a peace plan, Vance said that if Zelenskyy engaged “seriously with the details”, the US would be willing to talk again.
Quote from Vance: “I think that if he called and had a serious proposal for how he was going to engage in the process. Look, there are details that really matter that we’re already working on with the Russians. We’ve talked with some of our allies, he needs to engage seriously on the details.”
Details: Vance said that if there was a real proposal and if Zelenskyy was ready to participate in the process, the US was already working on the details with the Russians and allies. He added that if Ukraine was willing to engage, the door remains open.
Quote from Vance: “If you want real security guarantees, if you want actually to ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine.”
Details: Vance stressed that the Trump administration’s position is clear: the US cannot and will not fund the war in Ukraine indefinitely.
Quote from Vance: “European friends are doing a disservice to the Ukrainians. Their own populations are saying ‘we are not going to fund this war indefinitely’. And American people are saying ‘we don’t want to fund the war indefinitely’. The only thing that is in the best interest of America, of Russia, of Ukraine and of Europe is to bring this thing to a close. You have Zelenskyy who goes to Europe, and a lot of our European friends puff him up. They say ‘you’re a freedom fighter, you need to keep fighting forever’. Well, fighting forever with what? With whose money, with whose ammunition, and with whose lives?”
Details: Vance also said that he is not sure whether the Russians are ready for a compromise, but this needs to be tested, and negotiations are the only way to find out.
Background:
- On 28 February, Zelenskyy left the White House ahead of schedule after a spat with Trump and JD Vance.
- Later, Trump said that Zelenskyy had been disrespectful to the US and was not ready for peace.
- On 3 March, Trump said that he had not yet discussed stopping military aid to Ukraine, saying that everything will depend on what happens next.
- Trump’s administration has halted funding for the purchase of new weapons for Ukraine in recent weeks and is considering the possibility of freezing the supply of weapons from US stockpiles.
Read this analysis by European Pravda editor Sergiy Sydorenko on what this agreement means for Kyiv and Washington
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