US Vice President Vance Threatens Sanctions To Military Actions So President Putin Agrees On Peace

US Vice President JD Vance. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - Vice President JD Vance said the United States could attack Moscow with sanctions and potential military action if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace agreement with Ukraine that guarantees Kyiv's long-term independence, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

"There is an economic tool that can exert influence, of course there is a military tool that can exert influence that the US can use against (President) Putin," Vance said in an interview with the newspaper.

"There are a number of formulations, configurations, but we care about Ukraine which has sovereign independence," he said.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday discussed the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin and separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling US officials to start talks to end the nearly three-year conflict.

The phone call came shortly after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Ukrainian military allies in Brussels Ukraine's return to the border before 2014 - before Russia annexed Crimea - was unrealistic and the US did not see NATO's membership for Kyiv as part of the solution.

Ukrainians were worried because of their phone call with President Putin, President Trump said Ukraine would engage in peace talks with Russia, telling reporters at the White House that Ukraine would have a place on the negotiating table during peace negotiations with Russia to end the war.

Kyiv said it was too early to talk to Moscow at Friday's security conference.

"I think there will be an agreement that will emerge from this which will surprise a lot of people," said Vice President Vance.

"The president will not do this without thinking," he continued.

"He will say, 'Everything is on the table, let's make an agreement,'" he said.

Vice President Vance also agrees that President Trump may change his mind depending on how the negotiations take place.

"President Trump can say, look, we don't want this, we may not like this, but we are willing to return it to the negotiating table if Russia is not a good negotiating partner, or there are very important things for Ukraine that we may want to cancel," he said.