Vance says Ukraine should not be in NATO, urges Kyiv to stop striking Russian energy
In short
US Vice President JD Vance said Ukraine should not be a NATO member, according to TASS, RIA Novosti and Interfax. Interfax, citing an interview with 2Way, also reported him saying Ukraine should stop bombing Russian oil refineries because this raises diesel costs for Americans.
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US Vice President JD Vance said Ukraine should not be a member of NATO, TASS, RIA Novosti and Interfax reported on 20 October. TASS summarised his position as being that the country should not be part of the alliance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to RIA Novosti and Interfax, Vance said: "We have no formal alliance with Ukraine, as far as I know. They are not in NATO, I don't think they should be in NATO." Interfax said he spoke in an interview with the portal 2Way overnight into Tuesday. It added that he said Washington and Kyiv have "somewhat different interests". [ 2 , 3 ]
Interfax also reported that, according to Vance, Washington believes Kyiv should stop bombing Russian oil refineries. "I think Ukraine should stop bombing Russian energy," Interfax quoted him as saying, adding that such actions by Ukrainians "raise the cost of diesel for Americans". [ 3 ]
As background, RIA Novosti noted that in December 2021 Russia gave the US and NATO draft agreements on security guarantees. Moscow proposed, among other things, ruling out further eastward expansion of the alliance, including Ukraine's accession, and limiting weapons deployments near Russian borders. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The remarks, as reported by Russian outlets, set out a US vice-president's view on Ukraine's NATO membership and on Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy. The documents give no official reaction or follow-up.
Key facts
- JD Vance, the US vice president, said Ukraine should not be a member of NATO. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Vance said the United States has no formal alliance with Ukraine "as far as I know" and that Ukraine is not in NATO. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Interfax said Vance made the remarks in an interview with the portal 2Way overnight into Tuesday. [ 3 ]
- Vance said Washington and Kyiv have "somewhat different interests", according to Interfax. [ 3 ]
- Vance said Ukraine should stop bombing Russian energy, saying this raises the cost of diesel for Americans, according to Interfax. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Where and exactly when the interview took place. Interfax says it was given to 2Way overnight into Tuesday; the RIA Novosti text available does not name the portal, and TASS gives only a summary.
- Vance's remarks on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and on diesel prices. Only Interfax reports them; the other documents do not mention them.