US Vice President J.D. Vance has said that he may send US troops to Ukraine if negotiations with Russia fail to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he stressed that Washington is considering both economic and military leverage against Moscow.

"There are economic levers of influence, there are, of course, military levers of influence if Russia does not agree to a peace agreement that guarantees the long-term independence of Ukraine," — Vance noted. He added that all options remain “on the negotiating table.”

Vance expressed confidence that a deal could be reached that would “shock a lot of people,” saying the Trump administration was intent on convincing Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow could achieve more in negotiations than it could on the battlefield.

“There are many formulations and configurations, but we really care about Ukraine having sovereign independence,” — the vice president emphasized.

He also noted that after a successful resolution of the conflict, the United States is ready to review and improve relations with Russia.

"It is not advantageous for Putin to be the 'little brother' in an alliance with China""We are seeing a shift in the direction of the West," Vance said, pointing out that Moscow's isolation from Western markets is pushing it toward Beijing.

Earlier, on February 12, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ruled out the possibility of sending US troops to Ukraine under any security guarantees. However, Vance's statement shows that the administration is considering various scenarios depending on the progress of the negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier called for a 100-strong peacekeeping force, with European and US participation, to ensure security in the region. He stressed that it should not be a small number of troops, but a significant presence capable of guaranteeing stability.

Negotiations between the US, Russia and Ukraine are only just beginning, and their outcome remains uncertain.