Ukrainian officials are meeting with European allies and U.S. officials in London to discuss peace proposals to end the war with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. has issued “a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process.”
Note: According to The New York Times, the American peace proposal that Vance referred to “closely mirrors long standing Russian demands, including a ‘freeze’ of territorial lines in the three-year war, acceptance of the annexation of Crimea by Russia and a prohibition on Ukraine becoming part of the NATO alliance.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country will not accept the annexation of Crimea by Russia: “There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine.” (Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.)
President Trump’s former deputy national security advisor Victoria Coates (who is now Heritage Foundation Vice President of National Security and Foreign Policy) shared her opinions on the negotiations on Fox News.
America can’t want peace more than Russia and Ukraine. If both parties refuse to negotiate and come to a deal, the U.S. will have to walk away.@VictoriaCoates pic.twitter.com/Tv42YtXGxO
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) April 23, 2025
Coates said: “I think what we have right now, unfortunately, is something of a stalemate.” She noted that Putin continued attacks over the Easter season (“this was pretty egregious”) and complained that the Ukrainians “are refusing to make any concessions, refusing to come to the table to make a deal.”
Coates said she agrees with Vance: “If they won’t come to the table, I think the administration should probably walk away for the time being.” During his 2024 POTUS campaign, Trump repeatedly promised he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in “24 hours.”
