(VOVWORLD) - US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday told Fox News that Washington shouldn’t carry the main burden of ensuring security for Ukraine, but only offer support to end the conflict in case of necessity.
 US Vice President JD Vance (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
He said Europe needs to take the leading role in this regard, a direction that aligns with President Donald Trump’s expectation. Vice President Vance also said that the US and its allies are discussing security guarantees for Ukraine, but no agreement has yet been reached. He noted that Washington will not make any specific commitments until the necessary conditions for ending the conflict are defined.
In a discussion of a small group of allies on Tuesday, Elbridge Colby, the Defense undersecretary for policy, also said that the US plans to play a minimal role in any Ukraine security guarantees, one of the clearest signs yet that Europe will need to shoulder the burden of keeping lasting peace in Kyiv.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump ruled out sending American troops to Ukraine, stressing that Washington would assist with “coordination” and “perhaps provide other means of security guarantees” for its European allies.
Security guarantees for Ukraine were high on the agenda of the expanded meeting held on Monday at the White House, attended by President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders. They discussed the outcomes of Trump’s earlier meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and potential pathways toward resolving the ongoing conflict.