Vance says Europe will have to take ‘lion’s share’ of burden for Ukrainian security

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said on Wednesday (August 21, 2025) that European countries will have to pay the “lion’s share” of costs for Ukraine’s security guarantees.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to strike a peace deal to end Russia’s three and a half year-old war in Ukraine.

One of Ukraine’s priorities is security guarantees against Russian aggression. Mr. Trump has said he will not put U.S. troops on the ground there but could offer U.S. air support.

European countries have formed a “coalition of the willing” that would commit forces to guarantee Ukraine’s security.

With Mr. Trump testy about billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Ukraine so far, the White House has said Washington will not continue “writing blank checks” to fund Kyiv’s defense.

Mr. Trump wants to shift more responsibility for the costs to European allies.

“I don’t think we should carry the burden here…. The president certainly expects Europe to play the leading role here,” Mr. Vance told Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” show.

“No matter what form this takes, the Europeans are going to have to take the lion’s share of the burden. It’s their continent, its their security, and the president has been very clear – they are going to have to step up here.”

Mr. Vance said Russia wants some Ukrainian territory, “most of which they have occupied but some of which they haven’t.”

Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukraine, and Trump has said “land-swapping” and changes to territory will be crucial for any settlement.

Ukraine opposes conceding any territory, a position President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said is enshrined in the country’s constitution. But Kyiv currently lacks the military capacity to retake all Russian-held areas and has limited diplomatic leverage to force a withdrawal in the short term.