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Vice President JD Vance's proposition this week that the U.S. could locomotion distant from supporting Ukraine if bid talks with Russia stagnate could service arsenic catnip for the Kremlin, according to experts who accidental Russian President Vladimir Putin mightiness take to smother advancement successful hopes of getting America to lavation "its hands of the war."
While President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. whitethorn disengage from the negotiations arsenic a past edifice if they beryllium futile, Vance has taken the rhetoric a measurement further by saying the U.S. is decidedly unfastened to doing so.
"We’re much than unfastened to walking away," Vance told reporters connected committee Air Force Two connected Monday, conscionable moments earlier a high-stakes telephone telephone betwixt Trump and Putin. "The United States is not going to rotation its wheels here. We privation to spot outcomes."
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that nary 1 wins if the U.S. steps speech from the talks, but for Russia.
"It is important for each of america that the United States does not region itself from the talks and the pursuit of bid due to the fact that the lone 1 who benefits from that is Putin," Zelenskyy wrote successful a Monday station connected X.
Vance's remark astir abandoning mediation betwixt the 2 countries would lone embolden Russia, adjacent though a deficiency of U.S. engagement inactive wouldn't springiness Putin everything helium wants, according to John Hardie, the lawman manager of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Russia program, a nonprofit probe institute based successful Washington.
For the moment, Moscow inactive benefits from U.S. engagement successful the talks due to the fact that the Kremlin wants the U.S. to assistance beforehand a woody that benefits Russia and alleviates sanctions, Hardie said.
"But, for the Kremlin, the United States washing its hands of the warfare would beryllium the adjacent champion result if it means an extremity oregon simplification to U.S. enactment for Ukraine, particularly since President Trump whitethorn good determination to normalize relations with Russia anyhow," Hardie told Fox News Digital. "So the administration’s menace to locomotion distant risks perversely incentivizing Kremlin intransigence. A amended attack would beryllium to ramp up the economical and subject unit connected Russia if Putin continues to cull compromise."
Russia inactive desires normalization with the U.S., which tin lone hap if the warfare ends swiftly and comparatively amicably, said Peter Rough, a elder chap and manager of the Center connected Europe and Eurasia astatine the Hudson Institute deliberation tank.
"That reset successful relations is simply a elephantine carrot the medication is dangling successful beforehand of the Kremlin," Rough told Fox News Digital. "If the U.S. walks distant due to the fact that Russia volition not marque peace, however, past that carrot disappears arsenic well."
Rough noted that different medication officials too Vance, including Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, person mentioned the anticipation of walking distant from a deal, truthful Vance's comments don't needfully bespeak a immense alteration successful policy. And it's unclear close present what precisely stepping speech would mean.
"The intent of those comments has been to impressment connected the Kremlin that U.S. patience is not limitless," Rough said.
Vance hasn't shied distant from issuing bold overseas argumentation statements since becoming vice president. From sparring with Zelenskyy successful the Oval Office successful February to appearing to antagonistic Trump erstwhile Vance remarked successful May that the warfare successful Ukraine was acold from implicit aft Trump indicated a woody mightiness look soon, Vance has been outspoken successful a mode astir vice presidents haven't been.
When asked for remark oregon if determination were immoderate concerns astir Vance's Monday statement, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Vance’s office. Vance’s bureau declined to supply remark erstwhile asked if his remarks would promote Russia to beryllium the negotiations retired and proceed its attacks.
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Vice President JD Vance talks to reporters connected committee Air Force Two astatine Leonardo da Vinci International Airport successful Rome connected May 19, 2025.
‘Fundamental mistrust’
Vance has adopted an outspoken attack arsenic vice president, starting disconnected with his fiery February statements astatine the Munich Security Council successful which helium asserted that Europe needed to "step up successful a large mode to supply for its ain defense."
That boldness has carried implicit into the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, wherever Vance has taken a proactive approach, astatine times appearing to beryllium forging his ain path.
Vance and Rubio engaged successful discussions to extremity the struggle successful Ukraine with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen successful Rome connected Sunday, among different issues. Vance and Rubio besides discussed the Trump administration's efforts to extremity the warfare with Vatican prelate Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher connected Monday.
Aboard Air Force Two connected Monday, Vance said the negotiations had reached "a spot of [an] impasse" betwixt the 2 countries and that the struggle is not the Trump administration’s warfare to wage but alternatively belongs to erstwhile President Joe Biden and Putin.
"There is cardinal mistrust betwixt Russia and the West. It's 1 of the things the president thinks is, frankly, stupid, that we should beryllium capable to determination beyond," Vance told reporters. "The mistakes that person been made successful the past, but ... that takes 2 to tango."
"I cognize the president's consenting to bash that, but if Russia's not consenting to bash that, past we're yet conscionable going to person to accidental ... this is not our war," Vance said. "It's Joe Biden's war, it's Vladimir Putin's war. It's not our war. We're going to effort to extremity it, but if we can't extremity it, we're yet going to say, 'You cognize what? That was worthy a try, but we're not doing it anymore.'"
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President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the archetypal clip since their Oval Office spat successful February. (Vatican and Ukraine Ambassador to Holy See)
Vance's Monday connection came conscionable earlier Trump was scheduled to talk with Putin, seemingly undercutting the high-leverage telephone telephone and besides underscoring Vance's power implicit overseas argumentation matters successful the White House.
Specifically connected Ukraine negotiations, Vance has remained outspoken, engaging successful confrontation erstwhile Zelenskyy visited the White House successful February.
In that exchange, Vance accused Zelenskyy of being "disrespectful" aft Zelenskyy pointed retired that Putin has a way grounds of breaking agreements and countered Vance’s statements that the way guardant was done diplomacy to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine.
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky get into an statement successful the Oval Office. (Getty)
"Do you deliberation that it's respectful to travel to the Oval Office of the United States of America and onslaught the medication that is trying to forestall the demolition of your country?" Vance asked astatine the Oval Office meeting.
Almost instantly aft the U.S. signed a minerals woody with Ukraine connected May 1, Vance said the warfare successful Ukraine wouldn't extremity successful the adjacent future, contempt the information that Trump indicated the erstwhile week that an statement was connected the horizon.
"It’s not going anywhere," Vance told Fox News connected May 1. "It’s not going to extremity anytime soon."
Still, helium characterized the statement arsenic "good progress" successful the negotiations.
Trump's speech with Putin
Trump and Putin spoke implicit the telephone Monday to beforehand bid negotiations to halt the struggle betwixt Moscow and Kyiv, conscionable days aft Russia and Ukraine met successful Turkey to behaviour their archetypal bid talks since 2022.
After the call, Trump said some countries would determination toward a ceasefire and beforehand talks to extremity the war.
Meanwhile, Trump has suggested continued U.S. engagement whitethorn not beryllium a viable enactment moving forward, but helium has been reticent astir specifics connected what would really punctual him to locomotion distant from the talks. For example, Trump said connected May 8 successful an interrogation with NBC News that helium believes bid is imaginable but that the U.S. wouldn't enactment arsenic a mediator forever.
"Well, determination volition beryllium a clip erstwhile I volition say, 'OK, support going, support being stupid," Trump said successful the interview.
"Maybe it's not imaginable to do," helium said. "There's tremendous hatred."
Still, Trump signaled that the U.S. would instrumentality a backseat successful the negotiations betwixt Moscow and Kyiv aft his telephone with Putin.
"The conditions for that volition beryllium negotiated betwixt the 2 parties, arsenic it tin lone be, due to the fact that they cognize the details of a dialog that cipher other would beryllium alert of," Trump said successful a Monday station connected Truth Social.
Trump has continued to region the U.S. from the conflict, and helium aboriginal described the struggle arsenic a "European situation."
"Big egos involved, but I deliberation something's going to happen," Trump told reporters connected Monday. "And if it doesn't, I'll conscionable backmost distant and they'll person to support going. This was a European situation. It should person remained a European situation."
Trump besides doubled down connected extracting the U.S. from the war, claiming it didn't impact U.S. personnel.
"It's not our people, it's not our soldiers … it's Ukraine and it's Russia," Trump said successful the Oval Office connected Wednesday portion hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
TRUMP SAYS HE COULD ‘WALK AWAY’ FROM RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS, CITES ‘TREMENDOUS HATRED’ ON BOTH SIDES
Vice President JD Vance and Foundation Council President Wolfgang Ischinger enactment successful a treatment astatine the Munich Leaders Meeting hosted by the Munich Security Conference successful Washington connected May 7, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, sanctions against Russia could ramp up successful the lawsuit Russia fails to cooperate.
"President Trump has made it precise wide that if President Putin does not negociate successful bully religion that the United States volition not hesitate to up the Russia sanctions on with our European partners," Bessent said Sunday successful an interrogation with NBC.
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Vance has antecedently said the concessions that Russia is seeking from Ukraine to extremity the struggle are excessively stringent but believes determination is simply a viable way to bid and wants some to find communal ground.
"The measurement that we would similar to marque close present is we would similar some the Russians and the Ukrainians to really hold connected immoderate basal guidelines for sitting down and talking to 1 another," Vance said astatine the Munich Leaders Meeting successful Washington connected May 7.
Russia's demands see Ukraine ne'er joining NATO and preventing overseas peacekeeper troops from deploying to Ukraine aft the conflict. Russia is besides seeking to set immoderate of the borders that antecedently were Ukraine's.
Diana Stancy is simply a authorities newsman with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
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