US V-P Vance says Russia has made significant concessions towards Ukraine peace deal

WASHINGTON - US Vice-President J.D. Vance said Russia has made “significant concessions” towards a negotiated settlement in its war with Ukraine and was confident progress was being made, despite the lack of clear signs the conflict is nearing an end.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet The Press With Kristen Welker, Mr Vance said Russian President Vladimir Putin has made several concessions, including that Ukraine will receive security guarantees protecting against future Russian aggression.

“I think the Russians have made significant concessions to US President Donald Trump for the first time in 3½ years of this conflict,” Mr Vance said in comments aired on Aug 24.

“They’ve recognised that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv. That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning. And importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,

launched in February 2022

, started a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. In return for ending Russia’s attacks, Mr Putin is demanding that Ukraine give up all of the eastern Donbas region, renounce ambitions to join Nato, remain neutral and keep Western troops out of the country, sources told Reuters last week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview broadcast on Aug 24 that a group of nations, including United Nations Security Council members, should be the guarantors of Ukraine's security.

On Aug 22, Mr Trump

renewed a threat to impose sanctions on Russia

if there was no progress towards a peaceful settlement in Ukraine in two weeks, showing frustration at Moscow a week after his meeting with Mr Putin in Alaska.

Mr Vance said sanctions would be considered on a case-by-case basis, acknowledging that new penalties were unlikely to prompt Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine.

Mr Vance pointed to Mr Trump’s announcement in August of an

additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods

as a punishment for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil as the kind of economic leverage that would be used in pursuit of peace.

“He’s tried to make it clear that Russia can be re-invited into the world economy if they stop the killing, but they’re going to continue to be isolated if they don’t stop the killing,” Mr Vance said. REUTERS