Vice President JD Vance threatened to abandon Russia and Ukraine peace negotiations on Wednesday ahead of a high-stakes meeting in London where the two warring nations are to discuss President Trump’s “final offer.”
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the US to walk away from this process,” Vance told reporters during his trip to India. “We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was expected to take part in the tense London discussions, has already bailed on the summit, where the US is expected to continue its push for a quick end to the conflict despite Ukraine’s commitment to keeping territory occupied by Russia, CNN reported.
The US expects Ukraine to respond to a peace proposal — described as Trump’s “final offer” — that includes official US recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and “de facto recognition” of most of the areas Russia has occupied since the 2022 invasion, sources familiar with the discussions told Axios.
Ukraine would also be barred from joining NATO, but could potentially join the European Union, according to a one-page document outlining the key points of the proposal that was presented to European leaders in Paris last week.
Additionally, all sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 would be lifted and Washington and Moscow will pledge greater economic cooperation, particularly regarding energy production, Axios reported.
Ukraine in return would receive “a robust security guarantee” from European and non-European countries, but the details on what that would look like were not immediately clear.
A small part of the Kharkiv oblast occupied by Russia would be returned to Ukraine and it would have complete access to the Dnieper River.
Kyiv would also receive funding to help rebuild, although the document did not indicate where that money would come from.
Wednesday’s talks follow a meeting between leaders from the US, UK, Germany and France last week where America’s plan was discussed.
In Rubio’s stead, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, will represent the US in London, according to CNN.
