Vance sees Russia-Ukraine deal possible but sides not ready amid expectation gaps
The Russia-Ukraine war drags on despite months of negotiations because neither side wants to seal a peace deal, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Newsmax on Thursday, noting that Russians tend to overestimate their battlefield successes.
"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.
He added that Russians and Ukrainians "are just not at the point where they can make a deal" right now. Still, Vance believes a peaceful resolution remains possible but will require "a lot more work."
"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.
That disconnect has complicated reaching an agreement over the past few months, though some progress has occurred, the vice president added.
Vance also said Washington has found that tariffs work better than sanctions to influence Russia.
"Tariffs have been quite effective as a negotiating tool with the Russians," said the American official. "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."
In some cases, he said, sanctions can inflict serious damage on the U.S. economy without delivering the desired outcome.
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