US Vice President JD Vance and Wolfgang Ischinger, president of the Foundation Council, participate in a discussion at the Munich Leaders meeting hosted by the Munich Security Conference at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, May 7, 2025. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff James Meyers 9:55 AM – Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Vice President JD Vance was critical of Russia on Wednesday, claiming that President Vladimir Putin was “asking for too much” to end the more than three year war with Ukraine.
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“I wouldn’t say that the Russians are uninterested in bringing this thing to a resolution,” the VP said at an event hosted by the Munich Security Conference.
“What I would say is, right now, the Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much.”
NEW: JD Vance just said the quiet part out loud—you don’t end wars by picking sides. You end them by getting both sides talking.
At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance broke from the D.C. foreign policy script and laid out a path to peace in Ukraine rooted in… pic.twitter.com/wCkW2ayAGc
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has continued to express frustration towards both sides’ unwillingness to come to the negotiating table to hash out a peace agreement. The comments by Vance are some of the most critical since the Trump administration took over in January.
Vance added that Trump’s approach to the European war was “strategic realism” and he has been trying to understand where both sides are coming from.
Vance went on to state that he was thankful for Ukraine being willing to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, but such an agreement was not possible as Russia proved unwilling to strike an agreement, and is now no longer a possibility.
Nevertheless, the vice president emphasized that the administration is still looking to have direct talks with both sides.
“We think it’s probably impossible for us to mediate this entirely without at least some direct negotiation between the two, and so that’s what we focus on,” he said, emphasizing that the U.S. does want to be involved.
As for the next steps, Vance said the goal is to have Russia and Ukraine agree “to some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another.”
This also comes as Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff has spoken with Putin three times, while retired General Keith Kellogg has spoken with Ukraine.
Additionally, representatives from both nations have met with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia, but never in the same room.
Throughout the negotiations Russia has made it clear that it will not allow Ukraine to be admitted into NATO, while also ensuring Kyiv recognizes the annexation of Crimea and major parts of Ukraine’s eastern territories. Furthermore, Moscow wants Ukraine to allow the Russian language into the country and have no European peacekeepers on Ukrainian territory, among other requests.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has prioritized Ukraine’s need for security guarantees from Western nations to ensure that Russia does not invade again.
Vance took a more even keel approach this time around, stating that the U.S. and Europe are “on the same civilizational team,” but warned that change was coming.
VANCE: America and Europe are on the same civilizational team—but it’s time to share the burden.
Vice President JD Vance returned to the Munich Security Conference with a clear message: the U.S. and Europe remain close partners, but the nature of that partnership must evolve.… pic.twitter.com/zQYsZdpQ7n
“All of us, frankly, on both sides of the Atlantic, have gotten a bit too comfortable with the security posture of the last 20 years,” he said, “and frankly, that security posture is not adequate to meet the challenges of the next 20 years.”
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