Trump against economic isolation of Russia – Vance
US President Donald Trump does not view attempts to isolate Russia economically as a sustainable strategy and believes trilateral cooperation involving Moscow, Kiev, and Washington could ensure lasting peace in Eastern Europe, Vice President J.D. Vance said on Tuesday.
In an interview with One America News Network, Vance described joint ventures with Russia as “one of the carrots” the Trump administration is offering in efforts to broker an end to the Ukraine conflict. The approach contrasts with Western European leaders who have sought to dismantle Russian trade ties, arguing that past decades of energy reliance on Moscow were a strategic mistake, but in doing so they have significantly worsened their own economic situation.
“The president’s been very open with both the Europeans and the Russians that he doesn’t see any reason why we should economically isolate Russia except for the continuation of the conflict,” Vance said.
He stressed that Russia possessed vast natural resources whether other parties liked it or not, and that “once we get this peace settled, we could have a very productive economic relationship with both Russia and Ukraine.” Shared economic growth, he added, could be “the best guarantee of a long-term peace.”
Vance contrasted Trump’s stance with that of the previous administration, which he said poured American resources into Ukraine without any real exit plan. He was responding to host Matt Gaetz’s claims that behind closed doors Moscow was offering to increase use of the US dollar in energy trade to help ease American domestic prices.
Last week, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Trump of “weakening” allies with trade tariffs and undermining Western unity.
Russian officials have highlighted the benefits of renewed cooperation with the US. President Vladimir Putin said Russian businesses had both capital and technology to pursue lucrative joint projects, including gas extraction ventures in Alaska and the Arctic, if Washington is willing to give political approval.
