WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the White House helped slow Russia’s battlefield push by pressing Ukraine to prioritize defensive operations, even as European leaders continue to support Kyiv’s expanded strikes deeper inside Russian territory.
“The Russians, they’re paying a lot for every square kilometer they get. And I think that’s because the United States and NATO have encouraged Ukraine to be more focused on defense — and that’s proven effective,” Vance told the Times of London.
Rather than emphasizing counteroffensives aimed at Russian-held areas of Ukraine, Vance said “the Trump administration has leaned into” a strategy in which Ukrainian forces remain “maximally defensive.”
“It’s allowed Ukraine to exploit a little bit more of their tactical advantage,” he said. “Frankly, the Russians are in a place right now where the amount that they can get through continued [Russian] offensive operations is vanishingly small — and getting close to zero.
“That very well may create the space that we need to bring this thing to a close,” Vance added.
President Trump struck a similarly upbeat note Monday, saying the war is “much closer than people realize” to being brought to an end.
“President Putin wants it to end, I will tell you that very strongly,” Trump said, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also wants the conflict over “now.”
Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna told The Post that Kyiv appreciates Washington’s clear-eyed assessment of the war, though she said she was not aware of any effort to dissuade Ukraine from pursuing offensive operations.
“We appreciate the public outreach related to the real situation on the ground,” she said. “It is important that the US government has the same assessment based on the information at their disposal.”
Vance’s remarks came as Ukraine continues its largest-ever campaign of long-range drone attacks inside Russia — a strategy many European leaders openly support.
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Zelensky on June 25 announced a 40-day push announced June 25 to “compel” Russia to stop its war through deep strikes into the aggressor country.
“It is precisely our pressure, day after day, that lays the groundwork for a dignified peace in the end,” he said.
Ukraine this year has struck 22 Russian oil refineries as far as 2,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Russian border, “systematically disrupting Russia’s ability to produce fuel and are creating gasoline shortages throughout Russia and in occupied Ukraine,” according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Monday told the Financial Times that NATO leaders have thrown their support behind Ukraine’s intensified drone strikes on targets deep inside Russia — which also has put Kyiv in the “best” position since the war began on Feb. 24, 2022.
“I think that [all NATO leaders] understand why Ukraine is doing this,” Stubb said. “Everyone believes that we need to continue to increase the pressure.”
He further explained that the strikes into Russia help make the war “personal” to Russian citizens, driving them to “turn against” the conflict.”
“This gives us an opportunity to get back to the negotiating table, which I think we all desperately want,” Stubb said. “We all want to end this war.”
Stubb also acknowledged the Trump administration’s growing understanding of Ukraine’s dominant position against Russia, said it “changed the strategic thinking also of those who are trying to mediate peace.”
“We are in a fairly good place when it comes to Ukraine because everyone, including our American friends, sees that Ukraine is right now on top on the battlefield,” he said.
He also said that NATO would benefit from bringing Ukraine into the alliance — a feat that has been placed on ice at least until a cease-fire can be reached.
“NATO needs Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs NATO,” he said. “Their capabilities in drones and missiles are superior to those of most members in the alliance.”
The White House and NATO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
