US Vice President threatens to send US troops to Ukraine

^{Photo: leah millis/Reuters}
The United States has not ruled out imposing sanctions on Russia or sending troops to Ukraine if Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace treaty that guarantees Kiev's long-term independence, US Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"There are economic levers of pressure, and of course there are military levers of pressure," Vance said. According to him, if Moscow refuses to negotiate, the option of sending US troops to Ukraine remains "on the agenda."

Vance's statement about the possibility of sending US troops to Ukraine came after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ruled out such a possibility during a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels.

The US vice president told reporters that talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could result in a "deal that will surprise many." At the same time, he noted that Trump could change his mind on one or another issue during the talks. The goal of his administration now is to convince Putin that he can achieve more in diplomacy than on the battlefield.

Vance added that it was too early to say how much of Ukraine would remain under Russian control or what security guarantees the US and other Western countries could offer Kiev. According to him, these details should be worked out during the peace talks. "There are many formulations, configurations, but we are concerned about the sovereign independence of Ukraine," the vice president said.

In addition, Vance proposed restoring relations with Russia after a successful peace agreement on Ukraine. According to the US vice president, Moscow's current isolation from Western markets makes it "Beijing's little brother."

According to The Wall Street Journal, J.D. Vance presented the US position on Russia in a more assertive manner than Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. On February 12, at a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Brussels, Hegseth spoke to European allies and hinted at possible concessions in the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war.

In particular, Hegseth called the return of Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders an "illusionary goal" and said that Kiev's accession to NATO "would not be a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement of the conflict." He also ruled out the deployment of US troops to Ukraine, even with any security guarantees.

Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and then with Volodymyr Zelensky on February 12. Trump said they had agreed to start talks to end the war. According to the Financial Times, Trump and Putin are aiming to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine in April-May.

The Kremlin said that the "main party" in the talks was the United States, and that Ukraine would be involved in parallel with the "bilateral Russia-America track." Zelensky said that Kiev would not accept an agreement between the United States and Russia without Ukraine's participation. He also believes that European representatives should also participate in the talks. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”