The Kremlin has asked Washington to explain Vice President J.D. Vance’s comments
The Kremlin has requested clarification from the US after Vice President J.D. Vance suggested American troops could be sent to Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace deal ensuring Kiev’s long-term independence. Moscow says it has asked Washington for an explanation.
Vance made the comments in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, saying that Washington had “economic” as well as “military tools of leverage” to pressure Russia into a peace deal. He added that the possibility of sending American troops to Ukraine remained “on the table” if Moscow refused to engage in good-faith negotiations.
“These are new elements of the [US] position; we have not heard such statements before, they were not voiced,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. “During upcoming contacts [with the US administration] we expect to receive further clarification,” he added.
Vance’s remarks contrast somewhat with earlier statements by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Speaking at a gathering of Kiev’s supporters in Brussels this week, he ruled out sending American forces to Ukraine following any security agreement. Hegseth stressed at the meeting that military support for Kiev should primarily come from European countries.
The US vice president also told the Journal that the results of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could be surprising. “I think there is a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people,” he told the WSJ. He added that Washington would prioritize its interests in negotiations with Russia and that “things that are very important to Ukrainians” may need to be sacrificed.
A meeting between Vance and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is planned to take place at the Munich Security Conference. US President Donald Trump announced that “high-level” US representatives would meet their Russian counterparts at the event on Friday to discuss a resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Russian officials have not attended the Munich Conference since 2022, and Moscow has yet to confirm its participation this year or announce the composition of its delegation.
Putin and Trump spoke for nearly 90 minutes by phone on Wednesday, marking the first known direct interaction between the Russian and US heads of state since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. On Thursday, Trump said the phone call had paved the way for further direct contacts between American and Russian officials. The Kremlin described the conversation as “constructive,” with both leaders agreeing to meet soon in a third country.
Following his call with Putin, Trump spoke with Zelensky, after which the US president reaffirmed that Kiev is prepared to seek an end to the conflict with Russia.
