Russia and Ukraine aren’t ready to strike peace deal – ​​Vance

The Russia-Ukraine war continues despite months of negotiations because neither side is willing to reach a peace agreement, US Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday.

"As much as energetic diplomacy from the president of the United States can get people to the one-yard line, eventually you have to have the two parties who are willing to cut a deal," Vance said.

However, Vance said he thinks a settlement is still possible, but it will take "a lot more work" to get to that point.

"I think there’s a fundamental misalignment of expectations, where the Russians tend to think that they’re doing better on the battlefield than they actually are," he said.

According to Vance, this has complicated reaching agreements over the past few months, although progress has been made.

Regarding the use of economic instruments, Vance noted that the administration has recognized tariffs as more effective than sanctions in influencing Russia’s behavior.

"You have to separate sanctions from tariffs. Tariffs have been quite effective as a negotiating tool with the Russians, but sanctions have been tried for decades in this particular region of the world and all over the world, and I don’t think they actually work particularly well," he noted.

He acknowledged that the process is testing the patience of members of the administration, including himself and Trump.

"Yes, it’s frustrating sometimes. Yes, [Trump] gets impatient with everybody involved sometimes. Still, so long as he keeps working on it, I think the president has great confidence he can strike a deal," said Vance.