Vance: the 2023 counteroffensive was a “strategic and tactical catastrophe”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration believes Ukraine needs to shift to a defensive posture for the duration of negotiations.

He made the statement in an interview with The Times.

“The Trump administration leans toward the view that Ukrainians, while we are, of course, conducting negotiations, should move as much as possible onto the defensive,” Vance said.

The vice president also referred to the events of the summer of 2023, when the central topic of discussion was Ukraine’s transition to a major counteroffensive. According to him, virtually the entire Western world, including then-U.S. President Joe Biden, was pushing the Ukrainians toward a massive counteroffensive, which Vance assessed as, “looking back, a strategic and tactical catastrophe.”

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the complete capture of the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Putin stated that Russian forces are confidently maintaining the strategic initiative in the military operation zone, and that what had occurred is of major strategic significance and is “the key to the liberation of the entire DPR.”

“The capture of Kostiantynivka is only the first, but very important stage in the destruction of the Ukrainian Armed Forces formations still holding the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka fortified area, where the enemy has built a deep, layered system of fortifications,” Putin assessed.

The day before, Reuters reported that Trump would likely contact Putin after meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO summit in Ankara. On July 4, the U.S. president held phone calls with both leaders. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that Trump confirmed his readiness to help find ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, while Putin described the real situation on the battlefield to him and mentioned the capture of Kostiantynivka. Zelensky, following his conversation with Trump, spoke of a “real prospect” of ending the conflict.