A demilitarized zone in Ukraine and renunciation of NATO: U.S. Republican Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance outlined his “plan to end the war”

J.D. Vance, the Republican candidate for U.S. Vice President, outlined a potential approach for a Donald Trump administration to end the war in Ukraine. He suggested it could involve creating a “demilitarized zone” on Ukrainian territory and having Ukraine renounce NATO membership.

Vance shared this proposal during an appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show.

His suggested approach marks a sharp departure from the Biden administration’s current policy, which focuses on providing military and other aid to Ukraine.

“I think it would look something like this: Trump sits down and tells the Russians, Ukrainians, and Europeans, ‘You guys need to figure out what a peaceful settlement looks like.’ And it probably looks like the current line of demarcation between Russia and Ukraine, which becomes a demilitarized zone,” Vance said.

He added that this proposed demilitarized zone would be “heavily fortified to prevent another Russian invasion.”

According to Vance, under this peace plan, Ukraine would retain its independence in exchange for neutrality, meaning Ukraine would not join NATO or other “allied institutions.”

Vance did not clarify who would oversee the demilitarized zone but indicated that the current line of demarcation would remain, meaning Ukraine would not regain territory currently occupied by Russia.

During the interview, he also acknowledged that Russia “shouldn’t have invaded” Ukraine but pointed out that “the Ukrainians have many issues with corruption.” He described the notion of framing the war as a battle between good and evil, with U.S. support for Ukraine as “the great humanitarian mission of our time,” as a “mistaken and fantastical” way of thinking.

“There are a lot of risks for us staying there and trying to encourage the Ukrainians to hold onto Crimea. The question is, how many American lives will that cost? And if the answer is more than zero, I wash my hands of it,” Vance stated.

He also criticized Europe for underfunding the war effort, while “American taxpayers have been very generous to the Ukrainians.”

Vance argued that the Biden administration’s policy is to “throw money at the problem and hope the Ukrainians can achieve a military victory, which even the Ukrainians themselves admit they cannot achieve.”

“The policy of Donald Trump is, yes, be strong, but also be smart. Negotiate,” Vance concluded.