US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday announced that America might impose sanctions and consider military intervention if Russia’s Vladimir Putin fails to conclude the ongoing Ukraine conflict, which has lasted nearly three years.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Vance said, “There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” that could be deployed against Putin.
The vice president indicated that deploying US forces to Ukraine remains a possibility if the Kremlin fails to engage sincerely in peace negotiations.
This stance contradicts Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement in Brussels on Wednesday during a meeting of Ukraine allies, where he dismissed the prospect of US military presence in the conflict zone.
Hegseth emphasised that post-peace agreement security assurances for Ukraine must be supported by “capable European and non-European troops.”
A crucial meeting is scheduled at the Munich Security Conference in Germany between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a US delegation, including Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Keith Kellogg, New York Post reported.
The discussions will focus on war resolution strategies.
Regarding Trump’s approach to mediating between Kyiv and Moscow, Vance stated, “The president is not going to go in this with blinders on. He’s going to say, ‘Everything is on the table, let’s make a deal’.”
Whilst affirming Ukraine’s independence as a non-negotiable element in any agreement with Putin, Vance was non-committal about the extent of Russian-occupied territory that might remain under Kremlin control.
“There are any number of formulations, of configurations, but we do care about Ukraine having sovereign independence,” the vice president explained. The specifics of security guarantees from the US or European nations would be determined during negotiations, according to Vance.
He indicated that Trump might adjust negotiating terms based on how discussions progress.
Vance elaborated on Trump’s flexibility, suggesting items could be added or removed from negotiations depending on the parties’ behaviour and Ukrainian priorities.
Trump posted on Truth Social: “[W]e want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”
Later Thursday, Trump confirmed Ukraine’s participation in Russian negotiations whilst expressing support for Russia’s return to the G-7.