Vance believes in progress, but sees war in Ukraine as White House frustration

US Vice President JD Vance considers the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine as the biggest source of frustration during his time in the White House. In an interview with NBC News , he admitted that the administration initially viewed the war as a problem that would be resolved relatively quickly.

He expressed surprise that peace was proving more achievable in the Middle East than in Eastern Europe. "We thought it would be the easiest war to resolve," he acknowledged.

Yet he remains optimistic: "I think we have made a lot of progress, but we have not yet reached the goal. I think there is hope. Hopefully there should be some good news in that direction in the next few weeks."

This week, U.S. officials met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the way forward was unclear, although he described Putin's talks with U.S. envoys as "pretty good."

Putin, he said, has accepted some of the US proposals to end the war, others he considers unacceptable, and negotiations are continuing.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that during the first meeting Moscow accepted some points of the proposals but rejected others, and a compromise has not yet been found. The Kremlin said on Friday that Moscow was currently awaiting a response from Washington after talks between Putin and U.S. officials.

(max)