Russia’s Top Diplomat Praises Trump-Vance Ticket on Ukraine Stance

Russia’s top diplomat signaled a preference for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and especially his running mate JD Vance, praising their vocal interest in cutting a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Although the previous Trump administration imposed “more and more sanctions” on Russia, “at that time, dialogue was underway between us and Washington at the highest levels,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday. “Right now, there is no such dialogue.”

Trump has said he’ll bring the war to an end even before taking office if he’s elected in November, and vice presidential nominee Vance has said he opposes any further financial support to Ukraine. It’s a sentiment that has gained favor among many Republicans who criticize the billions spent for weapons and other aid to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

“He’s in favor of peace, in favor of ending the assistance that’s being provided,” Lavrov said of Vance. “And we can only welcome that because that’s what we need — to stop pumping Ukraine full of weapons. And then the war will end, and then we can look for solutions.”

The Republican ticket’s stance contrasts with that of President Joe Biden, who said last month that the US and its allies would stand with Ukraine until it wins the conflict with Russia. Biden has overseen the flow of more than $175 billion in aid to Ukraine since the war began, and his administration opposes forcing Kyiv into negotiations that would freeze in place Russia’s occupation of the eastern Donbas region. 

Lavrov’s comments follow remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said this month that he believes Trump “sincerely” hopes for an end to the war in Ukraine.

Despite the encouraging comments on the Republican ticket by Russian officials, Lavrov said Russia is “ready to work” with whomever the American people elect in November as long as they are “willing to engage in equitable, mutually respectable dialogue.”

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.