US Vice President Jay D. Vance stated that he has positive expectations regarding the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine through negotiations with the Russian side. According to him, although the process is still ongoing, they are feeling optimistic and hope to put an end to this very brutal war. Speaking during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, he noted:
This is reported by Kyiv24
“As the negotiations continue, I will not get ahead of them, but we are feeling optimistic and hope that we can end this war, this very brutal war.”
Earlier that day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported that Washington is prepared to withdraw from the negotiation process due to a lack of progress. He mentioned that in a phone call in Paris with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he informed him about constructive negotiations and proposals for Ukraine that need to be discussed in the coming days. According to Rubio, the Ukrainian team will have a few days to consider and will return to consultations at the beginning of next week.
On April 17 in Paris, negotiations took place between representatives of Ukraine, the US, and Europe regarding a peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that the next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in London next week.
Official Moscow claims that it seeks peace, but on its own terms. This means Ukraine’s renunciation of the occupied Crimea and four regions that Moscow considers illegally annexed, as well as a refusal to join NATO and possible other concessions. At the same time, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that Russia needs to act realistically and demonstrate a desire for peace, adding that the responsibility for the war lies not only with Russian leader Vladimir Putin but also with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and former President Joe Biden, who, according to him, did not do enough to avoid the conflict.