Vice President J.D. Vance downplays peace prospects in Ukraine, says it's up to Kyiv and Moscow

He made it clear that the US sees the path to peace as the responsibility of Ukrainians and Russians alone as both sides are now familiar with the terms the other demands.

“They need to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict," Vance said, appearing to question the value of Ukraine’s fight.

"This isn’t going anywhere, Bret. It’s not ending any time soon. Yes, Ukrainians are angry — they were attacked — but are we going to keep losing thousands and thousands of soldiers over a few miles of territory?”

He added that it’s now up to Kyiv and Moscow, and expressed hope that “both sides will come to their senses” — a phrase suggesting equal blame.

Vance emphasized that any peace deal, if it happens, will be thanks to what he called “one of the best deals of the 21st century” — a proposal put forward by President Donald Trump.

He claimed that the focus of the Trump administration is finding a way to help Russia and Ukraine “find common ground” — a position that appears to prioritize geopolitical compromise over justice or full territorial integrity.

Trump’s peace offer

According to Axios, President Donald Trump has presented a so-called “final offer” to end the war — a proposal that heavily favors Russian interests:

For Russia:

• US de jure recognition of Crimea as Russian territory

• De facto acceptance of Russia’s occupation of parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya oblasts

• A guarantee that Ukraine will not join NATO (though it may join the EU)

• Sanctions rolled back to 2014 levels

• Expanded economic cooperation with the US, including energy and industrial sectors.

For Ukraine:

• Vague “security guarantees” from a group of non-US partner countries, with no details on enforcement

• A small part of Kharkiv Oblast returned

• Free navigation along the Dnipro River

• Unspecified recovery aid and compensation

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already rejected any suggestion of recognizing Crimea as Russian and stated that these proposals do not reflect the official position of the United States.

Earlier, Vance warned that the US will withdraw from negotiations altogether if neither Ukraine nor Russia agreed to territorial concessions — effectively placing the burden of “peace” entirely on Kyiv.

Trump later criticized Zelenskyy’s stance, claiming it “seriously damages peace efforts”, and declared that “Crimea was lost long ago.”

On April 25, Trump told Time Magazine that Crimea “will stay with Russia” in any peace agreement, and asserted that Zelenskyy knows this.

On April 27, Trump publicly urged Vladimir Putin to stop hostilities and strike a deal — though he also said he isn’t convinced Putin truly wants peace.