Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Will US Money, Weapons Help Ukraine Win The War Against Russia? JD Vance Calls It A 'Fantasy'


(MENAFN- Live Mint) US Vice President JD Vance on Friday (local time) cast doubts on Ukraine's ability to turn the tables on Russia through US funding alone, saying that it was a“fantasy” to think that Kyiv could beat Moscow with just more money and weapons from Washington.

"There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand," Vance was quoted as saying by Reuters.

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Commenting on US President Donald Trump 's peace plan for Ukraine, Vance said that the priority was to stop the deaths in the war while preserving Kyiv's sovereignty.

He added that the peace plan should be acceptable to both Ukraine and Russia, and should maximize the chances of the war not restarting.

Vance's views on the proposed peace comes hours after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Friday that Kyiv could risk losing its freedom and dignity or the US' support over the proposed peace plan, which he said endorses key Russian demands.

"Now, Ukraine can face a very difficult choice - either losing dignity or risk losing a major partner," the Ukrainian President said in a speech, alluding to Kyiv's reservations.

"I will fight 24/7 to ensure that at least two points in the plan are not overlooked – the dignity and freedom of Ukrainians," he added.

However, Zelenskyy has stopped short of overtly rejecting Trump's plan, and on Friday said, "We value the efforts of the United States, President Trump, and his team aimed at ending this war. This must be a plan that ensures a real and dignified peace."

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Reuters, which saw a draft of the peace plan, reported that Trump's 28-point truce document calls on Kyiv to cede territory and renounce its ambitions to join NATO, in addition to accepting limits on its military, clauses that are unlikely to sit well with Ukraine, which has been given a week's time to accept the proposal.

However, Ukraine's anticipated pushback against the proposal did not seem to bother Trump, who told reporters that winter was fast approaching and that Zelenskyy needed to accept the plan to end the bloodshed from a war that has raged on since 2022.

"He'll [Zelenskyy] have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess," Trump told reporters on Friday, not mincing words.

"At some point he's going to have to accept something he hasn't accepted," the US President added, remining everyone of their February meeting at the White House-"You remember right in the Oval Office, not so long ago, I said, 'You don't have the cards.'"

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has said that Trump's proposal could be the basis for a final peace resolution, despite refusing to budge from Moscow's key territorial and security demands.

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