United States Vice President JD Vance says European countries will need to shoulder the “lion’s share” of responsibility for Ukraine’s security if a deal is reached to end the ongoing war, making clear that Washington will not carry the primary burden.

Speaking with Fox News on Wednesday, Vance stressed that while the US could be supportive, Europe should lead in underwriting Kyiv’s long-term security arrangements.

“I think that we should be helpful if it’s necessary to stop the war and to stop the killing. But I think that we should expect, and the president certainly expects, Europe to play the leading role here,” Vance told host Laura Ingraham.

He added that the United States is open to discussions but won’t commit until it is clear what will actually be needed to stop the fighting.

Vance’s remarks followed comments from President Donald Trump, who said earlier this week that no American troops would be deployed to Ukraine, though Washington could still provide support “by air.”

Trump, after hosting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington on Monday, said Europe must act as the “first line of defence” but assured that the US would still provide “a lot of help.”

While Trump has ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, his envoy Steve Witkoff and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte have suggested that Kyiv could receive security guarantees modeled on NATO’s collective defence principle under Article 5.

Trump has also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine. Moscow, however, has expressed concern about having NATO troops on its border and has dismissed that option in the past.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined that Russia must be part of any talks on future security guarantees.

“We cannot agree with the fact that now it is proposed to resolve questions of security, collective security, without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” Lavrov said, calling exclusion of Moscow a “road to nowhere.”

Despite unresolved questions, Vance said the Trump administration is making progress.

“You can never say with certainty what the outcome in this situation is going to be,” he said. “But we now have the Russians talking to the Ukrainians; they’re talking details about what would be necessary on each side to stop the fighting, to stop the killing.”