Ukraine is not on track to defeat Russia on the battlefield. This was stated by US Vice President JD Vance, quoted by "Kiev Independent", reports News.bg.
He defended the efforts of the Donald Trump administration to reach a peace agreement between the two countries.
Although President Trump's promises to end the war within the first 100 days of his mandate were not fulfilled, Washington continues to exert pressure on Moscow and Kiev for a ceasefire. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a decision would be made next week on whether the US would continue to participate in the peace process or withdraw as a mediator.
“Sometimes you are disappointed with the Ukrainians, sometimes with the Russians“, Vance admitted, underlining the complexity of the negotiations.
He said the US team was making progress but stressed that an agreement was not guaranteed. “I cannot say with 100% certainty that we will be able to achieve it“, he added.
The vice president declined to reveal details of the peace proposal, but expressed confidence that Ukraine would not be able to take back the occupied territories by force. "If this doesn't stop, the Ukrainians will not win the war," he said.
According to Vance, there is a "strange idea" being propagated in the media that if the war continues for a few more years, Russia will collapse and Ukraine will regain control of all the lost territories. "That is not the reality we live in," he said.
He warned that continuing the conflict threatens both sides with social exhaustion, millions of new victims and an escalation to nuclear war. "This has to stop. The policy of this administration is to stop it," Vance said.
The US proposal reportedly includes significant concessions from Kiev, including formal recognition of the annexation of Crimea. Ukrainian and European officials have proposed an alternative plan with U.S. security guarantees and no territorial concessions before a full ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Russia remains firm in its demands, despite President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a three-day truce to mark Victory Day. Moscow is pushing for international recognition of the annexed Ukrainian territories of Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.
Ukraine has already accepted the U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire and has repeatedly called for an unconditional ceasefire. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had reaffirmed that commitment to Donald Trump during their meeting at the Vatican on April 26.