Vance criticises Ukraine and Russia over "haggling over a few square kilometres"

US Vice President JD Vance has said during a visit to Hungary that he considers disputes between Ukraine and Russia over "a few square kilometres" to be unreasonable.

As reported by The Guardian, commenting on negotiations to end the Russo-Ukrainian war, Vance questioned the value of disputes over "a few square kilometres", apparently suggesting that Kyiv should make territorial concessions.

"What I would say to both the Russians and the Ukrainians is, you know, we're talking about haggling at this point over a few square kilometres of territory in one direction or another. Is that worth losing hundreds of thousands of additional Russian and Ukrainian young men? Is that worth additional months or even years of higher energy prices and economic devastation? We think the answer is clearly no," Vance said.

Vance added that "it takes two to tango", meaning that the Russians and Ukrainians must reach an agreement themselves.

"So while Viktor [Orbán] and President Trump are going to continue to work towards a peaceful settlement, fundamentally we can only open the door. The Russians and the Ukrainians have to walk through it," he said.

On 7 April, Vance again praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his position on Ukraine.