US Vice President JD Vance, on Wednesday (Aug 20), said that Europe should step up and take the "lion's share" of the burden of Ukraine's security agreement. He emphasised that while the United States should help stop the war, it should not be the country carrying the bulk of the effort. "I don't think we should carry the burden here. I think that we should be helpful if it's necessary to stop the war and to stop the killing, but I think that we should expect, and the President certainly expects Europe to play the leading role here," Vance told Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" show. "And this is the private conversation that we're all going to have about what's necessary to stop the war. But no matter what happens, no matter what form this takes, the Europeans are going to have to take the lion's share of the burden. It's their continent, it's their security, and the president's been very clear they're going to step up here,” the US vice president added. Putin and Zelenskyy should meet for talks, regardless of peace deal: Vance Vance further emphasised the importance of direct dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, highlighting that the meeting between the leaders of the warring nations could break the barriers that their teams may struggle to overcome. "I think the president's preference and my preference would be, let's have them meet regardless," he said. "You don't have to figure out every issue, and sometimes leaders sitting down face to face can break the logjam that their teams don't necessarily have the ability to do," Vance added. Vance describes Putin as 'soft-spoken' Vance recalled speaking with Putin on the phone several times before meeting him in Alaska last week. Describing the Russian president as "soft-spoken", he said, "You know that the American media has a particular image of him, he's soft-spoken in a certain way. He’s very deliberate. He’s very careful. And I think fundamentally, he’s a person who looks out for the interests as he sees it, of Russia." Vance: I have never actually met Putin. I have talked to him on the phone. More soft-spoken than you would necessarily expect. The American media has am image of him. Spot spoken. Very deliberate, very careful. I think fundamentally is he a person who looks out for the… pic.twitter.com/daLaEWLs3R — Acyn (@Acyn) August 20, 2025 Vance stated that the reason why Putin respects Trump is that “he knows the president looks out for the interests of the American people.” The US vice president's remarks come following Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders, which concluded at the White House on Monday (Aug 18). Describing the discussions as “very good”, the leaders indicated a possibility of a peace deal between the warring countries, Russia and Ukraine. European leaders, including Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, flew to Washington to attend the discussions backing Zelenskyy.
