WASHINGTON — US Vice President JD Vance on Friday defended the Trump administration’s emerging peace framework for ending the Russia-Ukraine war, arguing that critics misunderstand both the proposal and the realities on the ground.

“Any Ukraine–Russia peace plan has to: 1) Stop the killing while preserving Ukrainian sovereignty. 2) Be acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine. 3) Maximize the chances the war doesn't restart,” Vance wrote on US social media platform X.

Administration officials have floated a 28-point proposal that would require Kyiv to relinquish control of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region and permanently forgo joining NATO.

Vance said criticism of the draft plan stems from either misinterpretation or a refusal to acknowledge battlefield and diplomatic realities.

“There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand,” he said, adding that peace “won’t be made by failed diplomats or politicians living in a fantasy land” but by “smart people living in the real world.”

Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump said next Thursday was an “appropriate” deadline for Ukraine to accept the plan.

“He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess,” Trump told reporters, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who held discussions with Vance regarding the proposal.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv is coordinating closely with partners to ensure its core positions are reflected in negotiations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US draft “could be used as the basis” for a settlement and that Moscow remains satisfied with battlefield progress but still open to talks. — Agencies