U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance declared Monday that Ukraine is not on track to win its war against Russia, dismissing as “weird” the belief that continued fighting will somehow lead to Russia’s collapse. His remarks mark a sharp rebuke of mainstream Western expectations and signal a deepening skepticism within the U.S. leadership over the war’s direction.
“If this doesn’t stop, the Ukrainians aren’t winning the war,” Vance told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during a podcast interview. “There’s this weird idea among the mainstream media that if this thing goes on for just another few years, the Russians will collapse… That is not the reality we live in.”
Vance, a former Marine and longtime critic of U.S. involvement in Ukraine, warned that dragging out the war risks a devastating human toll and possible nuclear escalation. “You could have millions more people killed… It has to stop,” he emphasized.
The vice president added that American negotiators are making “progress” in pushing toward a diplomatic solution, though he acknowledged frustration with both Kyiv and Moscow. “Sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with Ukrainians. Sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with the Russians,” he said. “But that’s what President Trump doesn’t let us do—throw up our hands.”
His comments follow a new initiative by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced a symbolic three-day ceasefire starting May 8 to mark Victory Day, honoring the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky dismissed the gesture as “manipulation,” instead calling for a full 30-day ceasefire.
Tensions remain high as both sides trade accusations over recent failed truces. Moscow claims Ukraine breached a U.S.-brokered 30-day “energy truce” and a separate 30-hour Easter ceasefire. Russia insists that any lasting ceasefire must include an end to Ukraine’s mobilization and a halt to Western arms deliveries.
