He made this statement on August 24, 2025, Ukraine’s Independence Day, in an interview with NBC News journalist Kristen Welker, which aired on Meet the Press.“I think the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict. They’ve actually been willing to be flexible on some of their core demands. They’ve talked about what would be necessary to end the war,” Vance said regarding the outcomes of the Alaska summit.Specifically, according to him, “what they have conceded is the recognition that Ukraine will have territorial integrity after the war. They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv.”“Have they made every concession? Of course they haven’t. Should they have started the war? Of course they [shouldn’t have], but we’re making progress,” the U.S. Vice President emphasized, adding that “there are hills and valleys to the negotiations.”Aid to UkraineOn its part, the U.S. will continue to enable Ukraine to defend itself, Vance added, but without an American military presence in the conflict zone.“The president has been very clear. There are not going to be boots on the ground in Ukraine. But we are going to continue to play an active role in trying to ensure that the Ukrainians have the security guarantees and the confidence they need to stop the war on their end,” Vance said.At a recent meeting in Washington, Zelenskyy, European leaders, and Trump agreed the U.S. would supply arms and ammunition to Ukraine if Europe pays the costs.Too early to discuss security guaranteesIn response to a question about disagreements over Russia’s role in establishing security guarantees for Ukraine, Vance said, “There’s a little bit of talking past each other here.”“First of all, we’re not talking about security guarantees until after the war has come to a close,” Vance stated.“And, of course, the Russians are going to be a part of the conversation about bringing that war to a close. So, of course, they’re going to have some stake in this,” the U.S. Vice President concluded.As previously reported, on the same program on NBC News during an interview with the same journalist on August 25, the Russian Foreign Minister stated:Zelenskyy is allegedly not ready to meet with Russian leader Putin, as he shows no willingness to make concessions to the Kremlin regarding Ukraine.Ukraine will have the “right to exist” (exact quote) only if it cedes “Novorossiya,” Crimea, and Donbas to Russia.