Trump names senator in favor of Ukrainian territorial concessions as his running mate
Republican Party nominee Donald Trump announced on July 15 that he had selected J. D. Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio, as his vice president in case of victory.
The Republican Party formally nominated former President Trump as its candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
"After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of vice president of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio," Trump said.
Ohio voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Vance, 39, was first elected to the Senate in 2022 with no prior political experience. Vance came to prominence in 2016 following the release of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy.
At first critical of Trump, Vance became a staunch supporter of the former president when seeking to win the race for the Senate. He has opposed providing aid to Ukraine.
"Any peace settlement is going to require some significant territorial concessions from Ukraine, and you're gonna have a peace deal because that's the only way out of the conflict," Vance said in February.
Vance has made a number of statements suggesting that he is favor of haulting the U.S. support of Ukraine.
"I got to be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another," Vance told Steve Bannon in an interview in 2022.
Vance also told Politico in 2024 that Ukrainians are "admirable people," fighting Russia but saw "a lack of strategic clarity," claiming that there is no manufacturing capacity to support a ground war in Eastern Europe.
"How long is this expected to go on? How much is it expected to cost? And importantly, how are we actually supposed to produce the weapons necessary to support the Ukrainians?" he said.
On the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly said he could end Russia's war within 24 hours if elected president, without specifying the steps for reaching a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready to cooperate with the Republican Party if Trump is elected as the U.S. president.
