Overview

• In an Aug. 24 Meet the Press interview, Vice President J.D. Vance asserted that every major conflict ends through negotiation, citing World War I and World War II.
• Historians noted that World War II concluded with Germany and Japan’s unconditional surrenders, and PolitiFact on Aug. 26 rated Vance’s sweeping claim False.
• Vance said the U.S. aims to mediate between Russia and Ukraine and would not stop Ukrainians from ceding territory to end the war, framing any decision as Kyiv’s to make.
• Critics accused Vance of promoting appeasement and warned that normalizing territorial concessions to Russia could embolden other aggressors and weaken European security.
• A minority argued postwar arrangements, such as Japan retaining the emperor and Allied decisions on Germany, count as negotiations, but fact‑checkers describe those as victor‑imposed terms rather than mutual settlements.