Brinkmanship at D.C. conference: U.S. rejects Russia's demands
Vice President J.D. Vance stated on Wednesday that Russia "demands too much" regarding the potential end to the war with Ukraine.
The vice president is attending a meeting associated with the Munich Security Conference in Washington, D.C. J.D. Vance highlighted the Trump administration's new frustrations with its attempts to engage Moscow in peace negotiations.
"The Russians are demanding a certain set of demands, a certain set of concessions to end the conflict. We believe they are demanding too much," he said.
The vice president mentioned that Washington is concentrating on a long-term solution, as Russia rejected the American call for a 30-day ceasefire.
The Kremlin then noted that such a solution is not in Russia's strategic interest, as it would allow Ukraine to regroup.
Will Moscow have to make concessions?
However, Vance emphasized that Moscow will likely need to make concessions, which, according to Politico, could suggest that the Trump administration is prepared for a more aggressive stance towards Putin.
"The step that we would like to make right now is: we'd like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another," he indicated. "But it's very important for the Russians and the Ukrainians to start talking to one another," he noted.
Vance also assured that President Donald Trump aims to achieve peace for various reasons, including humanitarian concerns. "He has a genuine humanitarian impulse about this. He hates innocent people losing their lives. He hates even soldiers losing their lives in unnecessary conflicts. He just wants the killing to stop," J.D. Vance pointed out.
