【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

Let Zelenskyy "behave", praise Putin for speaking "in a soft voice", and ask Europe to take more responsibility...

On August 20 local time, U.S. Vice President Vance made it clear during an interview with Fox News that he had a "clear attitude".

According to reports by Bloomberg and Reuters, Vance reiterated in the interview that European countries would have to pay "the lion's share" of the costs for Ukraine's security, as it was their continent.

According to a report by Politico on August 20, senior policy officials at the Pentagon told allies that the United States would play a minimal role in Ukraine's security. The report suggests this is one of the clearest indications yet that the U.S. is pushing Europe to take more responsibility.

Vance and the Pentagon made it clear to Europe...

"I think we shouldn't bear the heavy burden," Vance told the host of the program, "President Trump certainly hopes Europe will take the lead in this issue," he said. "No matter what form it takes, Europeans will have to bear most of the burden. Because it's their continent, it's about their security, and the president has been very clear - they will have to step up to the plate on this issue."

European countries have strongly urged for security guarantees for Ukraine and called for American involvement. However, Reuters reported that Trump repeatedly stated that the U.S. has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine so far and insisted that it would not continue to "write checks" to fund Kyiv's defense. The Trump administration hopes to shift more cost responsibilities to European allies.

According to a report by Politico on August 20, senior policy officials at the Pentagon told a small group of allies on the evening of August 19 that the U.S. planned to play a minimal role in any Ukrainian security guarantee.

The report said that this is one of the clearest indications yet that Europe will need to bear the heavy burden of maintaining lasting peace in Kyiv.

Vance talking about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, screenshot from video

According to sources, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, the third-highest-ranking official at the Pentagon, Elbridge Colby made the above statement.

At a meeting led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kahane, defense ministers from the UK, France, Germany, and Finland urged the U.S. to disclose which troops and air assets would be provided to ensure Ukraine's security, and Colby made this response.

Multiple U.S. and European officials said that this meeting and the hastily arranged NATO leaders' meeting on August 20 have made allies increasingly worried that once the Russia-Ukraine conflict ends, the Trump administration will rely on Europe to ensure Ukraine's long-term peace.

In response to criticism, a Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement: "Deputy Secretary Colby attended the meeting and conveyed the guidance from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth on Ukraine's security because we support the president's historic efforts to end this tragic conflict. During the event, Deputy Secretary Colby focused on ensuring that the discussion reflected the president's position on this issue."

Vance and Colby (center) attending a congressional meeting, media

Vance's comments on the Russian and Ukrainian leaders

In the interview on August 20, Vance also spoke about his impressions of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Russian President Putin.

Vance told the show host that he had spoken with Putin "multiple times" by phone and described him as "speaking in a softer voice than you might imagine." He said, "The U.S. media has a special impression of him. He is very thoughtful. He is very cautious."

Vance mentioned his recent conversation with Zelenskyy at the White House. In February of this year, Zelenskyy had a "disastrous meeting" with Trump at the White House. At that time, Vance had a quarrel with Zelenskyy.

"President Zelenskyy entered the Oval Office, and I talked with him, Trump, and some senior Ukrainian delegation members," Vance revealed. "I said, 'Mr. President, as long as you behave, I won't say anything.' He just smiled lightly. It was a great icebreaker."

Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance had a heated argument during a meeting in February, screenshot from video

Vance said he believed that meetings between Russian and Ukrainian leaders could help advance negotiations towards their respective goals.

He said, "That's the point of the negotiations. The Ukrainians want security guarantees. The Russians want a certain amount of territory. Most of it they have already occupied, but some they haven't."

The U.S. is trying to arrange this bilateral meeting, but the time and location are not yet determined. Trump has said that if this bilateral meeting goes well, he will seek a trilateral summit with Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

According to reports, Russia occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory. Trump previously stated that "territory exchange" is essential for any Russia-Ukraine solution. Reuters reported that Ukraine opposes ceding any territory, but Kyiv currently lacks the military capability to reclaim all areas controlled by Russia, and it also has limited diplomatic leverage to force Russian withdrawal in the short term.

Europe's concern: Who will provide security guarantees for Ukraine?

On August 18 local time, Trump met with Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House.

According to reports, on the surface, the meeting seemed to "go smoothly," and Trump expressed willingness to provide security guarantees for Ukraine. He and Zelenskyy smiled in the photo, and European leaders said the meeting was "better than expected."

However, CNBC pointed out on August 19 that specific details of the security guarantee were still not published, and there was a lot of uncertainty. Trump only stated at the press conference that Europe would "take on a lot of the burden," but the U.S. would help make it "very safe."

Fox News noted that before the meeting, Trump did not rule out the possibility of the U.S. military participating in the guarantee, but later emphasized that Europe would bear the main responsibility for protecting Ukraine. Trump has reiterated that he believes U.S. support should come through arms sales rather than a comprehensive aid package, "We won't give anything away, we're selling weapons."

Jaroslava Barbieri, a researcher at the Royal Institute for International Affairs, pointed out that there are still many unknowns in the meeting results, "There are still many uncertainties regarding security guarantees, details, who will do what, where the deployed forces will be stationed, how long they will stay, and which countries will participate in the operation."

On August 20, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Russia supports providing reliable security guarantees to Ukraine, but at the same time warned that discussing this without Russian participation was "dead-end." The Financial Times commented that Lavrov's words indicated that Russia would only accept a security arrangement for Ukraine that included Russian veto power.

"We cannot agree to now having someone propose solving security issues, collective security issues, without the Russian Federation's participation, it doesn't work," Lavrov said at a press conference after meeting with Jordan's foreign minister. "I am sure that the West, especially the United States, clearly understands that seriously discussing security issues without Russia is utopian and dead-end."

Lavrov pointed out that if it were an equal security guarantee arrangement involving the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia would accept such an arrangement.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7541009910344778240/

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