Vance says US door open if Zelensky willing to 'seriously talk peace'

As U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly halted all military aid to Ukraine, Vice President JD Vance criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky in a March 3 interview with Fox News, claiming Zelensky has shown a "clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process" — a policy Trump insists reflects the will of the American people.

During the Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28, Trump and Vance criticized Zelensky, accusing him of failing to express gratitude for U.S. support and warning that his refusal to make concessions to Putin was a dangerous gamble that could escalate into World War III.

Following the meeting, Trump said that Zelensky "is not ready for peace."

"He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace," Trump posted on Truth Social on Feb. 28.

Vance told Fox News' Sean Hannity that "what President Trump has said clearly and consistently is of course (that) the door is open so long as Zelensky is willing to seriously talk peace."  

"You can't come into the Oval Office or anywhere else and refuse to even discuss the details of a peace deal," he said. "This is not going to make anybody happy. The Russians are going to have to give up stuff, the Ukrainians are going to have to give up stuff. You can't come to the Oval Office and say 'give us security guarantees, we won't even engage with you about what we are willing to give up.' That's been the Ukrainian posture."

"Hope is not a strategy. Throwing money and ammunition at a terrible conflict — that is not a strategy," Vance said on the Biden adminstration policy on Ukraine.

The U.S. has provided assistance worth $119.8 billion since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, including $67.1 billion in military aid, $49 billion in financial aid, and $3.6 billion in humanitarian aid, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Zelensky pushed back on Trump's comments during his interview with Fox News on Feb. 28 asserting that Ukraine is "ready for peace but we need to be in a good position."

"We want peace... that's why I visited President Trump," Zelensky told Fox News, adding that he hopes that Trump would show stronger support for Ukraine rather than positioning himself as a mediator in the war. He emphasized that Russia was the aggressor, having launched the invasion. "I want really him to be more at our side," Zelensky said.

Vance reiterated that President Trump will be "the first person to pick up the phone" once Zelensky is ready to talk about peace.

"The president is actually taking a much more realistic perspective in saying this can't go on forever, we can't fund this thing forever, the Ukrainians can't fight forever — so let's bring this thing to a peaceful settlement."