Camilla Jessen
Vance: working with Russia doesn’t mean backing Ukraine invasion.
Speaking in an interview with American journalist Megyn Kelly, US Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump has been clear that Russia should not have invaded Ukraine.
At the same time, he said, refusing any engagement with Moscow would be unrealistic.
“When people say you can’t work with Putin on anything because you don’t agree with the invasion of Ukraine, the president has made it very clear that Putin should not have invaded Ukraine,” Vance said. “We will try to work together and end this situation, but there may be some areas of cooperation.”
Alliances and disagreements
Vance framed the administration’s approach as a broader reassessment of how the US manages alliances and rivalries.
He said Washington accepts that relationships with other countries often involve both shared and conflicting interests.
“We are for alliances,” Vance said, adding that the US may align with some partners on most issues while disagreeing on others.
Applying that logic to Russia, he said the two countries may disagree on many points but could still find limited areas of agreement. Vance described this as a “fundamental reorientation” in how US foreign policy is conducted.
Moscow seeks normalization
The comments come as Moscow signals interest in easing tensions.
On Monday, February 2, Russia submitted proposals to the United States aimed at removing what it called “serious barriers” to the full normalization of bilateral relations, according to European Pravda.
The details of those proposals were not made public, and US officials have not confirmed how Washington plans to respond.
Media reports last year suggested that the US had considered reactivating the NATO-Russia Council as part of broader efforts to address the war in Ukraine.
The council, created as a forum for dialogue between NATO and Moscow, has largely been inactive since relations deteriorated following Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Sources: European Pravda, Megyn Kelly interview
