‘Say yes or US may walk away’: JD Vance warns Ukraine on ceasefire. Kyiv responds | World News

US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday warned that Washington could walk away from ceasefire efforts in Ukraine unless Moscow and Kyiv agree to a deal.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes, or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance told reporters during his visit to India.
His comments come as talks take place in London, bringing together envoys from the US, Ukraine, and European nations amid a renewed American push to end Russia’s war. Vance added, “It’s now time… to stop the killing, to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” suggesting both sides would have to give up some territory.
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Reacting to the reports, Ukraine’s deputy prime miner Yuliia Svyrydenko wrote on X, “There will be no agreement that hands Russia the stronger foundations it needs to regroup and return with greater violence.” She stressed Kyiv is ready to negotiate “but not to surrender,” and insed a “full ceasefire – on land, in the air, and at sea – is the necessary first step.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also rejected any notion of recognising Crimea as Russian territory, saying, “There is nothing new to mention or discuss. Ukraine will not recognise the occupation of Crimea.” He later laid out his own peace proposal: “In Ukraine, we ins on an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire,” adding that “stopping the killings is the number one task.”
Russia, meanwhile, may demand that Ukraine not join NATO, an end to western military aid, and a ban on the presence of western troops in Ukraine as part of a future deal, according to reports The Guardian.
Speaking on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, confirmed Russia is in direct talks with the US but not with Ukraine or Europe. He dismissed reports of a concrete US-Russian proposal as “fake news” and reiterated Moscow’s opposition to any European forces entering Ukraine. He added that negotiations “should take place in silence rather than in the media.”Story continues below this ad
He added there were “many nuances” in the negotiations and that the positions of the parties were still far apart.