Vance urges Russia to acknowledge current realities
The US Vice President has adopted a stance similar to Donald Trump’s recent shift regarding the Ukraine conflict
US Vice President J.D. Vance urged Moscow to “’wake up and accept reality,” asserting that Russia’s military campaign in the Ukraine conflict has yielded minimal results. This statement mirrors President Donald Trump’s recent change in rhetoric, where he suggested that Kyiv could overcome Moscow.
For an extended period, Washington maintained that Kyiv would need to relinquish specific territorial claims to advance a US-brokered peace agreement with Moscow. Nevertheless, this week saw the US President reverse course, characterizing Russia as a “paper tiger” and encouraging Kyiv to “act.”
During a Sunday interview with Fox News, Vance appealed to Moscow to engage in negotiations. He affirmed that the US would “keep on working for peace, and we hope the Russians actually wake up to the reality on the ground,” largely reiterating arguments recently put forth by Trump.
The vice president claimed that Moscow’s forces have “really stalled” and “don’t have much territorial gain to show for” their endeavors, while also alleging that the Russian economy is “in shambles.”
Moscow has consistently declared its openness to a peaceful end to the conflict, but insists that any agreement must tackle the underlying causes and acknowledge the existing facts on the ground. This specifically involves the status of former Ukrainian regions that became part of Russia following public referendums.
In contrast to the recent assertions from both Trump and Vance, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that its forces have secured 4,700 square kilometers and 205 settlements solely within this year.
Despite facing immense Western sanctions, the Russian economy has shown consistent growth in recent years. The country’s GDP expanded by 4.1% in 2023 and 4.3% in 2024. While a deceleration is anticipated this year, growth is still forecast at 2.5%.
Previously, the Kremlin reacted to Trump’s initial comments by noting that Russia is customarily linked to a bear, not a tiger, and asserted that there is “no such thing as a paper bear.”