US vice-president Vance says Ukraine should not join NATO
JD Vance said in a podcast interview that Ukraine is not a NATO member and should not become one, while criticising Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
US Vice-President JD Vance said Ukraine is not a member of NATO and that he does not think it should join the alliance. He made the comment in an interview on the podcast "2Way Tonight", according to Report.az, APA Azerbaijan and Poland's WP Wiadomości.
Vance said Ukraine is a partner of the United States, but the two countries have no formal alliance, and that Washington and Kyiv will keep working together in some areas while taking different positions in others, according to WP Wiadomości. He also criticised Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying they push up energy prices for Americans, and said he believes Ukraine should stop striking Russian targets, according to APA Azerbaijan and Report.az.
The remarks follow an energy truce that Donald Trump announced on 11 October, under which Russia and Ukraine agreed to stop attacking each other's energy infrastructure immediately. Trump gave no details of the deal, WP Wiadomości reported. President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios the announcement had surprised officials in Kyiv, but said Ukraine would respect the truce if Trump had genuinely negotiated it with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to WP Wiadomości.
Zelensky said on Sunday that Russia had attacked Ukraine's energy and oil-and-gas sector 76 times since the truce was announced, according to WP Wiadomości. WP Wiadomości also reported that Trump's truce announcement covered only a halt to refinery strikes by both sides, and did not address Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure.
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What we know
- JD Vance said Ukraine is not in NATO and should not join, in an interview on the "2Way Tonight" podcast.
- Vance said Ukraine is a US partner but the two countries have no formal alliance.
- Vance criticised Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying they raise US energy costs.
- Zelensky said Russia attacked Ukraine's energy sector 76 times since the 11 October energy truce was announced.
Why it matters for Europe
The exchange shows a gap between Washington and Kyiv even as both sides work within narrower energy-related arrangements. Zelensky's count of 76 Russian strikes since 11 October suggests the energy truce has not stopped attacks on Ukraine's energy sector, according to WP Wiadomości.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 3 countries.
- Report.az: Vens Ukraynanın NATO-ya üzvlüyünə qarşı çıxıb
- APA Azerbaijan: ABŞ vitse-prezidenti Ukraynanın NATO-ya üzvlüyünə qarşı çıxıb
- WP Wiadomości: Wiceprezydent USA: Ukraina nie powinna być członkiem NATO
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Did JD Vance say the US and Ukraine have a formal alliance?
- No. He said Ukraine is a US partner but that the two countries are not bound by a formal alliance, according to WP Wiadomości.
- What is the status of the Russia-Ukraine energy truce?
- Zelensky said Russia had attacked Ukraine's energy sector 76 times since the truce was announced on 11 October, according to WP Wiadomości.
- Why did Vance criticise Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries?
- He said the strikes raise energy prices for Americans and said Ukraine should stop attacking Russian targets.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.