Vice President JD Vance slammed the Russian government for its demands to end the war in Ukraine. This could signal that the Trump administration plans to get tougher with Russian President Vladimir Putin as it seeks to bring about an end to hostilities.
The vice president on Wednesday spoke at an event held by the annual Munich Security Conference, saying the Kremlin is “asking for too much” to end the war, which has carried on for 38 months.
“What I would say is, right now, the Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much,” Vance said, according to Politico. He further suggested that Moscow will likely have to make some concessions.
The vice president was channeling growing impatience in the White House with Putin. Late last month President Donald Trump said Putin may just be “tapping me along” and suggested he may employ sanctions to change the dynamic.
The vice president further expressed the White House’s desire that the two nations come to the negotiation table. He indicated Washington “would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another” and that this would be “the next big step we’d like to take.”
Vance’s comments come just after Ukraine launched drone attacks on Tuesday that forced four major Moscow airports to temporarily shut down. Russian air defenses managed to intercept at least 19 drones coming toward the capital “from different directions,” Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told reporters.
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— Sander (@SanderRegter) May 7, 2025
In the fourth year of the war, Ukraine suddenly found a real weak point for the Russian Federation. This is air traffic. Due to massive drone attacks in the European part of Russia, flights are paralyzed today. Airports are in collapse. pic.twitter.com/sxjWGUKwwu
The strike came amid Moscow’s preparations for the 80th anniversary of Victory Day. Russian military forces bombed the Barabashovo market in Kharkiv, destroying about 90 shops. Ukraine damaged a power substation in Russia’s Kursk region. Two teenagers were injured in the attack. Kurks Governor Alexander Khinshtein noted that “Power was yet to be restored to the town of Rylsk.”
Putin’s three-day-ceasefire with Ukraine began on Thursday, also to coincide with Victory Day celebrations and visits from foreign leaders. The Russian government billed the ceasefire as a “humanitarian” gesture meant to “test” Kyiv’s sincerity when it comes to pursuing a peaceful solution.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, “We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance. But the world is not seeing any response from Russia.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Our military and special services are taking all necessary measures to ensure that the celebration of the great victory takes place in a calm, stable and peaceful atmosphere.”
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