US Vice President JD Vance said Russia has refused bilateral and trilateral negotiations to end the war in Ukraine over recent weeks, calling on Moscow to “wake up and accept reality” amid mounting casualties and minimal territorial gains.

Speaking in a Fox News interview, Vance explained President Donald Trump’s shifting rhetoric on the Ukraine war stems from the administration’s focus on “real events on the ground” in all diplomatic efforts.

According to the Vice President, Russia has reached a dead end — losing many soldiers without significant territorial achievements.

“He [Trump] says: look, the Russian economy is in decline. The Russians are not getting much gain on the battlefield. It’s obviously time for them to listen to his fervent call and sit down at the negotiating table to seriously talk about peace,” Vance said.

The Vice President emphasized the US remains committed to peace but noted “it takes two to tango.” He explained that over recent weeks, Russians have refused to conduct any bilateral meetings with Ukraine.

“They refuse to conduct any trilateral meetings where the president or another member of the administration could sit at the negotiating table with Russians and Ukrainians. Our position is that we want peace right now,” Vance said.

The Vice President called on Russia to “wake up and accept reality.”

“How many people are they willing to lose more? How many people are they willing to kill for very little, if any, gain — military advantage on the ground?” Vance asked.

In the same interview, Vance said Washington is discussing the possibility of transferring Tomahawk missiles to NATO for subsequent provision to Ukraine. However, the final decision remains with the US President.

On 23 September, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump stated that with European Union support, Ukraine could regain its territories within original borders and possibly go further. He added that Russia is “in great economic trouble,” calling it a “paper tiger.”

Zelenskyy said he received a positive signal from the US President that his country would support Ukraine until the war’s end.

The Kremlin expressed the view that Trump changed his rhetoric after speaking with the Ukrainian leader, adding that “Russia is by no means a tiger, but still more associated with a bear” and that “there are no paper bears.”

Trump has escalated his criticism of Moscow, saying Russia is “killing people for no reason” and that its economy is “going to hell,” comments made at a White House press conference.

These come as Russian drones and aircraft have violated the airspace of eight NATO and EU countries throughout September.