Vance issues ultimatum to Russia, Ukraine on peace negotiations

Vice President JD Vance told reporters in India that the U.S. had offered Russia and Ukraine “a very explicit proposal” to end the war that has been ongoing for over three years: make a deal or risk the U.S. walking away.

“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 U.S. to walk away from this process. We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work,” Vance told reporters.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE A PASS’ ON UKRAINE PEACE EFFORTS IF RUSSIA REFUSES TO PLAY BALL

The vice president also said that “the only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing and to get on with the business of actually building a better Russia and a better Ukraine.”

Vice President JD Vance speaks as he departs Agra, en route to Jaipur, India, after visiting the Taj Mahal, April 23, 2025. (Kenny Holston/Pool via Reuters)

Vance’s comments come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he would not be attending talks in London aimed at facilitating a ceasefire. On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that Rubio would not be attending the talks due to “logistical issues.” 

The secretary later wrote in a post on X that he was planning on “following up after the ongoing discussions in London and rescheduling my trip to the UK in the coming months.”

During Tuesday’s briefing, Bruce also said Gen. Keith Kellogg, special presidential envoy for Ukraine, would represent the U.S. at the talks in London.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department on Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL

On Friday, Rubio suggested that the U.S. might walk away from negotiations to end the war within “a matter of days,” despite President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire deal. Trump later told the press that Rubio was “right in saying that we want to see it end.”

“Think about it, every day a lot of people are being killed as we talk about, you know, as they play games, so we’re not gonna take that,” Trump told reporters. He also said he thinks the U.S. has a “good chance” of bringing peace to Ukraine and Russia.

President Donald Trump takes a question from a member of the media during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Security experts, however, are not as confident that peace is on the horizon, as some warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace.

Trump seems to be hoping to entice Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop the fighting with talk of how both countries could benefit from doing business with the U.S. after the war ends. He made the remark after Ukraine and Russia’s temporary Easter ceasefire ended. Both Ukraine and Russia accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.