Trump to end US funding of Ukraine war, JD Vance says
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JD Vance says President Trump will end US funding for the Ukraine war and will meet Putin in Alaska on August 15 to seek a peaceful resolution.
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President Donald Trump pauses while speaking during an announcement about Apple with Apple CEO Tim Cook in the Oval Office, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US President Donald Trump intends to halt US funding for Ukraine war efforts, with growing numbers of Americans opposing the continued use of taxpayer money to support the conflict, US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday.
“The president and I certainly think that America, we are done funding the Ukraine war business. We want to bring about a peaceful settlement to this thing. We want to stop the killing. But Americans, I think, are sick of continuing to send their money, their tax dollars to this particular conflict,” Vance told Fox News.
According to the vice president, the administration would not object if European nations purchase weapons from US manufacturers to transfer to Ukraine.
“But we’re not going to fund it ourselves anymore,” he said, underscoring the shift in Trump's Ukraine policy.
"It's not going to make anybody super happy. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it," he said.
Putin-Trump Alaska meeting set for August 15
Vance also revealed that Trump is confident about his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, seeing it as a step toward easing US-Russia relations.
“Maybe this works out, maybe it doesn’t, but it’s worth the effort, it’s worth trying,” Vance quoted Trump as saying earlier on the day of the interview.
Trump confirmed on Thursday that his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week will go ahead even if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not attend, signalling a shift from earlier White House conditions linking the summit to direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported, citing sources close to the Ukrainian President, Zelensky was alarmed by Trump's decision to hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian President in Alaska without inviting Ukraine to participate.
Asked by reporters whether Putin would need to meet Zelensky in order for the US-Russia talks to take place, Trump was unequivocal: “No, he doesn’t. No.” This marked a departure from an earlier statement by a White House official suggesting that a Putin-Zelensky meeting was necessary for a summit to occur. That official later clarified that such a meeting was not an absolute requirement, but its absence would make the event less likely.
Read more: Europe, Ukraine offer new peace plan ahead of US-Russia summit: WSJ
