Europe must bear burden of Ukraine security guarantees: JD Vance
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US Vice President JD Vance says Europe must lead on security guarantees for Ukraine, as US delays commitments pending conflict resolution talks.
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Vice President JD Vance speaks with members of the National Guard at Union Station in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP)
The vast majority of the responsibility for providing future security guarantees to Ukraine will have to be taken on by Europe, US Vice President JD Vance said in a Fox News interview.
"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 is been very clear, they are going to have to step up here," Vance said.
The US president added that while the United States and its allies are working on security guarantees for Ukraine, agreements on the issue are not yet finalized. "The Ukrainians want security guarantees. The Russians want a certain amount of territory. Again, we finally got the details. We're working on them, but we haven't figured everything out," he said.
According to the vice president, the United States will not make any commitments on security guarantees for Ukraine until it realizes what is needed to end the military conflict.
"The United States is open to having the conversation, but we are not going to make commitments until we figure out what is going to be necessary to stop the war in the first place," Vance said.
Senior Pentagon official echoes Vance's statement to Europe
A high-level Pentagon official echoed Vance's statement, telling European allies that the United States will play a minimal role in security guarantees for Ukraine, according to POLITICO.
The position reportedly voiced by Elbridge Colby, the Defense Undersecretary for Policy, which signals that Europe must bear the burden of ensuring Ukraine's future peace, was detailed in the Politico report.
During an extensive meeting on August 20 that involved US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders, a key focus was security guarantees for Ukraine.
The discussions, which took place at the White House, centered on the outcomes of Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, as well as the exploration of potential solutions to the ongoing conflict.
