{"id":90428,"date":"2025-02-15T02:48:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T02:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/jd-vance-says-us-wields-economic-military-leverage-on-russia-in-ukraine-talks\/"},"modified":"2025-02-15T02:48:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T02:48:02","slug":"jd-vance-says-us-wields-economic-military-leverage-on-russia-in-ukraine-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/jd-vance-says-us-wields-economic-military-leverage-on-russia-in-ukraine-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"JD Vance says US wields economic, military leverage on Russia in Ukraine talks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that Washington would be able to wield economic and military leverage in talks with Russia to ensure a good peace deal over Ukraine, but his spokesman later denied he was making any threats against Moscow.<\/p>\n<p>Vance also urged Europe to spend more on defence in remarks before arriving for the Munich Security Conference, a major annual gathering of political leaders, military officers and diplomats.<\/p>\n<p>In his keynote address to the conference, Vance lambasted the European Union for its regulation of hate speech and misinformation, which he said amounted to censorship.<\/p>\n<p>He only briefly referred to Ukraine, saying he hoped a \u201creasonable settlement\u201d could be reached.<\/p>\n<p>However, Ukraine, and prospects for peace talks, preoccupied many at the high-profile global gathering after Donald Trump startled US allies by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin and announcing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1891526\/trump-speaks-to-putin-says-ukraine-talks-to-start-immediately\">start of talks<\/a> to end the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Vance, who was due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later on Friday, said in an interview with <em><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/europe\/vance-wields-threat-of-sanctions-military-action-to-push-putin-into-ukraine-deal-da9c18ac\">The Wall Street Journal<\/a><\/em> before the conference that Trump could use several tools \u2014 economic and military \u2014 for leverage with Putin.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  w-full  w-full  media--stretch  media--embed  \">\n<p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Vice President JD Vance Delivers Remarks at the Munich Security Conference\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pCOsgfINdKg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Vance\u2019s spokesman William Martin <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/wsmartin218\/status\/1890384085027103120\">said<\/a> later on X that Vance \u201cdidn\u2019t make any threats. He simply stated the fact that no one is going to take options away from President Trump as these negotiations begin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin published what he said was a transcript from the interview, according to which Vance was asked what implicit threat and pressure Washington was considering towards Putin. He said Vance responded that \u201cthe range of options is extremely broad, and there are economic tools of leverage. There, of course, military tools of leverage [too].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vance mentioned none of this in his speech to the conference, instead focusing on criticising the 27-nation EU\u2019s policy towards hate speech.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe threat I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, it\u2019s not China, it\u2019s not any other external actor,\u201d he said, adding that it was what he called a retreat from fundamental values of protecting free speech \u2014 as well as immigration, which he said was \u201cout of control\u201d in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>A <em>Reuters<\/em> reporter in one of the side rooms where more delegates could listen to Vance said people watched in stunned silence, with no applause.<\/p>\n<p>Germany\u2019s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius blasted Vance\u2019s speech, calling it unacceptable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDemocracy was called into question by the US Vice President for the whole of Europe earlier,\u201d Pistorius said from the main stage at the conference. \u201cHe speaks of the annihilation of democracy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if I have understood him correctly, he is comparing conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regions \u2026 that is not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"european-fear-of-exclusion-from-ukraine-deal\" href=\"#european-fear-of-exclusion-from-ukraine-deal\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>European fear of exclusion from Ukraine deal<\/h2>\n<p>The Kremlin had said earlier on Friday that it hoped the US would clarify Vance\u2019s remarks to the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>. \u201cWe have not heard such formulations before,\u201d Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed Vance\u2019s comments. \u201cJust like with the tariffs, it will depend on how President Putin comes to the table,\u201d he told <em>Fox Business Network<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we believe that taking the sanctions regime up to a maximum threshold level will help us achieve negotiating leverage \u2014 and as you know, no one understands negotiating leverage better than President Trump, so \u2014 that will be his decision, and Treasury will implement it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s phone call with Putin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1891811\">stoked fears<\/a> among European governments that they might be frozen out of a settlement to end the Ukraine war that could wind up being too favourable to Russia and undermine European security as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reiterated those concerns on Friday. \u201cA sham peace \u2014 over the heads of Ukrainians and Europeans &#8211; would gain nothing,\u201d she said. \u201cA sham peace would not bring lasting security, neither for the people in Ukraine nor for us in Europe or the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Germany\u2019s defence minister said it was a mistake for Trump to take the bargaining chips off the table, namely Ukraine\u2019s wish for Nato membership and its objective to recover all territories taken by Russian forces since 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Russia now holds about 20 per cent of Ukraine nearly three years after launching a full-scale invasion, saying Kyiv\u2019s pursuit of Nato membership posed an existential threat. Ukraine and the West call Russia\u2019s action an imperialist land grab.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"pressure-on-europe\" href=\"#pressure-on-europe\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>Pressure on Europe<\/h2>\n<p>Vance also repeated Trump\u2019s demand that Europe do more to safeguard its own defence so Washington can focus on other regions, particularly the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the future, we think Europe is going to have to take a bigger role in its own security,\u201d he said in a bilateral meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.<\/p>\n<p>Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said Vance was \u201cabsolutely right\u201d about the need for Europe \u201cstepping up\u201d and doing more for its own defence. \u201cWe have to grow up in that sense and spend much more,\u201d Rutte said.<\/p>\n<p>At the conference, several European leaders echoed his comments, saying Europe would step up its defence spending but also needed to discuss a gradual phasing-out of its support with Washington.<\/p>\n<p>As a senator, Vance expressed blunt scepticism about US support for Ukraine. Speaking on a podcast in 2022, he said: \u201cI don\u2019t really care what happens in Ukraine one way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"saudi-arabia-welcomes-putin-trump-meeting\" href=\"#saudi-arabia-welcomes-putin-trump-meeting\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>Saudi Arabia welcomes Putin-Trump meeting<\/h2>\n<p>Separately, Saudi Arabia said that it commended the phone call between Trump and Putin, welcoming the idea of their meeting in the kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>Peskov said it could take several months to arrange a meeting between Putin and Trump, possibly in the Saudi capital Riyadh.<\/p>\n<p>Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the first foreign leader Trump called after taking office. He described the crown prince as \u201ca fantastic guy\u201d during his speech via video link to an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos.<\/p>\n<p>Putin, who visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2023, said last September that he was grateful to Mohammed bin Salman for helping to organise the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1889613#:~:text=Putin,%20who%20visited%20Saudi%20Arabia%20and%20the%20UAE%20in%202023,%20said%20last%20September%20that%20he%20was%20grateful%20to%20Mohammed%20bin%20Salman%20for%20helping%20to%20organise%20the%20biggest%20US-Russian%20prisoner%20swap%20since%20the%20Cold%20War.\">biggest US-Russian prisoner swap<\/a> since the Cold War.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"russian-drone-hits-chernobyl-cover\" href=\"#russian-drone-hits-chernobyl-cover\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>Russian drone hits Chernobyl cover<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier today, Zelensky said that a Russian drone had struck the cover built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, adding that radiation levels were normal.<\/p>\n<p>The Ukrainian air force said that Russia had launched 133 drones across the country overnight \u2014 including attack drones \u2014 targeting northern regions of the country where the Chernobyl power plant lies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast night, a Russian attack drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the cover protecting the world from radiation at the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant,\u201d Zelensky said in a <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/1890298176038682905\">social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The attack is evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is \u201cdefinitely not preparing for negotiations \u2014 he is preparing to continue deceiving the world\u201d, Zelensky said.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"media  sm:w-full  w-full  media--stretch  \"><figcaption class=\"media__caption  \">A screenshot from security footage shows a Russian drone striking the containment facility at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on February 14. \u2014 Screengrab via X (ZelenskyyUa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>CCTV footage posted by the Ukrainian leader showed a blast on the side of the Chernobyl structure in footage that was timestamped 02:02am.<\/p>\n<p>The Kremlin rejected that its army targeted Ukrainian nuclear structures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no question of any strikes on such nuclear infrastructure sites. Any claims that this was the case do not correspond to reality. The Russian military does not do this,\u201d Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today after stating that he did not have \u201cexact information\u201d about the reported hit on Chernobyl.<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky\u2019s video also showed a small fire and a hole in the roof, and firefighters using a hose to put out the blaze from the inside of the dome. He said the drone had flown at an altitude of 85 metres, too low to be detected by radar.<\/p>\n<p>The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also reported an \u201cexplosion\u201d at the site, and said \u201cradiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The agency, which has had a team deployed at Chernobyl since the early stages of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, published images apparently showing the drone on fire after crashing into the covering.<\/p>\n<p>The IAEA has repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1855225\">warned of the dangers<\/a> of fighting around nuclear plants following Russia\u2019s full-scale military offensive into Ukraine in February 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Russia responded by calling Zelensky\u2019s accusation a staged \u201cprovocation\u201d by Kyiv to blackmail the West into giving it more aid.<\/p>\n<p>Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, accused Zelensky of orchestrating the alleged drone attack to coincide with the Munich event as part of a lobbying effort to secure more weapons and money from the West.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was never any doubt that Zelenskiy would not come to the Munich conference empty-handed. The hands of the Kyiv regime must always be busy with some children\u2019s rattles to distract the attention of the conference participants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cZelensky travels with performances that are backed up by provocations,\u201d Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow. \u201cIs there any doubt in anyone\u2019s mind that this is a provocation? There can be no doubt. A performance was needed to lobby for arms deliveries and convince the world public. A scary, bloody and very dangerous performance,\u201d she said, accusing Kyiv of using nuclear plants for \u201cblackmail\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In the first days of the conflict, Russian forces briefly seized the Chernobyl plant and also captured the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1709352\">Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant<\/a> in southern Ukraine, which it still controls.<\/p>\n<p>In 1986, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded during a botched safety test, resulting in the world\u2019s worst nuclear accident that sent clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.<\/p>\n<p>Soviet authorities initially tried to cover up and then play down the disaster.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2016, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1299614\">massive metal dome<\/a> was erected over the remains of the reactor \u2014 paid for with \u20ac2.1 billion euros ($2.5bn) in international funding \u2014 to stop future leaks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only country in the world that attacks such sites, occupies nuclear power plants, and wages war without any regard for the consequences is today\u2019s Russia,\u201d Zelensky added in his statement.<\/p>\n<p>The Ukrainian energy ministry meanwhile \u201ccalled on the IAEA to intensify efforts to prevent hostile attacks on nuclear facilities\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Russian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1854886\">drone and missile attacks<\/a> on energy facilities throughout the conflict have crippled Ukrainian electricity generation capacity and forced routine and widespread power outages.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that Washington would be able to wield economic and military leverage in talks with Russia to ensure a good peace deal over Ukraine, but his spokesman later denied he was making any threats against Moscow. Vance also urged Europe to spend more on defence in remarks before [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2025\/02\/14202858da6df88.jpg?r=203654","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}