US says Russia demands too much in Ukraine peace talks

US Vice President J.D. Vance, photo: Getty Images

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has said that the Russian side is making excessive demands when discussing a possible end to the war in Ukraine.

He said this at the Munich Leaders' Meeting in Washington.

According to him, Russia is not abandoning the idea of a peace agreement, but its position remains too rigid. Ukraine has also conveyed its conditions to the Americans. Because of this, there remains a «big gap between the two countries».

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«The step we want to take right now is for both the Russians and the Ukrainians to agree on some basic principles for a conversation,» said J.D. Vance.

The United States emphasises that the time has come for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, Washington wants to move away from the idea of a temporary ceasefire for 30 days and focus on a long-term settlement.

The US Vice President also added that the US is disappointed with the emotionality of both sides.

«When you have an hour-long conversation with one of them, the first half hour is just complaints about historical grievances,» said J.D. Vance.

Earlier, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said that the European Union could significantly increase its support for Ukraine by purchasing weapons directly from domestic producers.

According to him, if Trump fails to convince Putin to make peace, the EU could make a more convincing case for peace very quickly by significantly increasing its military support for Ukraine.

At the same time, President Trump claims that the United States is closer to one side in negotiations to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, he did not want to name this party.