Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to resume negotiations but remain too far apart on key issues to reach a peace agreement, highlighting the Trump administration’s difficulties in brokering an end to the war. During an interview with Forbes, Vance was asked why he believed renewed talks would succeed when Ukraine had repeatedly expressed a willingness to negotiate but Russia had resisted. “I think both countries have agreed to come to the negotiating table. The reason we have not yet reached a peace agreement is that they are simply too far apart on the details of those negotiations,” Vance said.
Vance credited U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff with reviving diplomatic efforts, saying Witkoff had spoken with Russian and Ukrainian leaders in recent days to narrow their differences. “He is optimistic. The nature of these things is that you make an attempt, see how far you can get, and then come back to it again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Vance said. Vance also praised Witkoff and the administration’s diplomatic team for pursuing an agreement despite significant differences between Moscow and Kyiv.
