Vice President J.D. Vance rejected accusations that the U.S. is not pressuring Russia to force it into negotiating an end to its invasion of Ukraine.
A reporter asked Vance on Tuesday why the U.S. was "putting a lot of pressure on Ukraine, but not much pressure on Russia."
"Well, I don't think that's right, actually," Vance said. "We still have a number of sanctions that are placed on Russians.
"We do believe the Russians economically are struggling because of this conflict. We believe it is Russia's best interest and United States' and Ukraine's best interest to bring this conflict to a close. We believe applying pressure to everybody to stop the killing. That's what the president's policy is."
Reuters reported Monday that the Trump administration is considering sanctions relief for Russia, though they would not come immediately.
The Trump administration has been accused of easing up on Russia while continuing to play hardball with Ukraine. Last week it was reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered U.S. Cyber Command to refrain from all cyber offensive operations against Russia, with some calling the move "indefensible."
Trump on Monday suspended all military aide to Ukraine, including those weapons already in transit from reaching the frontlines. The move came after Friday's highly publicized clash between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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