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US Vice President JD Vance has characterised the ongoing territorial disputes between Ukraine and Russia as “haggling over a few square kilometres,” suggesting that Kyiv should contemplate concessions to avoid further human and economic costs.
During his visit to Hungary, just days before parliamentary elections, Vance questioned the value of continuing the conflict over a limited area of land. He warned that this could lead to “hundreds of thousands of additional young men” being lost on both sides, as well as prolonged spikes in energy prices and economic hardship.
“What I would say to both the Russians and the Ukrainians is that we are essentially haggling over a few square kilometres of territory. Is that worth losing hundreds of thousands of additional young men from Russia and Ukraine? Is it worth enduring additional months or even years of higher energy prices and economic devastation? We believe the answer is clearly no,” he stated.
Vance emphasised that any resolution requires agreement from both parties, adding, “It takes two to tango.”
His visit to Budapest coincided with rising tensions ahead of Hungary’s elections, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces a challenge from the main opposition figure, Péter Magyar. Vance accused Ukrainian intelligence of trying to influence the election outcome and voiced his support for Orbán, likening the Hungarian leader to former US President Donald Trump and describing both as peacemakers.
These comments represent a rare public intervention by a senior US official in the electoral politics of a European ally and may complicate Washington’s relations with Kyiv at this sensitive time in the war.
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