US Vice President JD Vance stated that Washington is prepared to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and does not rule out sending American troops to Ukraine if Russian leader Vladimir Putin refuses a peace deal that ensures Ukraine’s long-term independence.
Vance said the option of sending US troops to Ukraine if Moscow failed to negotiate in good faith remained “on the table,” striking a far tougher tone than Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who on Wednesday suggested the US wouldn’t commit forces.
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“There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage,” the US could use against Putin, Vance said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Western media point out that Vance’s statement contradicts the remarks of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who on Wednesday said that the US does not plan to send troops to Ukraine.
Additionally, in a conversation with WSJ journalists, the vice president said that Washington has economic tools at its disposal to pressure Russia.
As Reuters quotes, Vance suggested that the outcome of negotiations could be “a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people.”
The vice president also did not rule out that US President Donald Trump may reconsider his position depending on how the negotiation process unfolds.
Vance said: “President Trump could say, look, we don’t want this thing. We might not like this thing, but we’re willing to put it back on the table if the Russians aren’t being good negotiating partners, or there are things that are very important to Ukrainians that we might want to take off the table.”
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Vance is scheduled to speak Friday at the Munich Security Conference, a gathering of global leaders to discuss shared threats. He said he intends to tell allied European leaders that they are stifling free speech and democracy by not working with “populist parties.”
Vance said he would urge German politicians to cooperate with all parties, including the far right and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Early on Thursday, Trump announced a planned meeting in Munich involving high-ranking officials from Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington.
However, the Ukrainian Presidential office refuted Trump later Thursday, stating that “talks with the Russians in Munich are not planned.”
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