US Vice-President JD Vance has said America is 'done with the funding of the Ukraine war', insisting that European nations must take on a greater financial role. In an interview with Fox News, Vance warned that Donald Trump would force both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to meet, dismissing calls for the Ukrainian leader to attend the upcoming US-Russia summit in Alaska.
Vance criticised European leaders for not 'stepping up' given the conflict's proximity to their borders. 'What we said to the Europeans is simply: this is in your neck of the woods,' he said. 'You guys have gotta step up and take a bigger role in this thing.' He added that America wants to 'bring about a peaceful settlement' and 'stop the killing'.
European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, jointly welcomed the planned summit on Friday but stressed that Ukraine must be represented and no land should be ceded. Their statement followed Trump's suggestion that the deal might involve 'some swapping of territories', which Zelensky strongly rejected.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Kaja Kallas confirmed that foreign ministers are scrambling to convene an emergency meeting on Monday. Zelensky thanked allies, writing on X: 'The end of the war must be fair.' A White House official said Trump remains open to a trilateral summit but will initially hold a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, told NBC that 'you can't end a war without talking' and expressed confidence that Trump would negotiate from a position of strength. However, a month-long US-led push for a truce has so far proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle but the Kremlin holding out for more favourable terms.
