U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance stated that Ukraine should not join NATO, speaking during an interview with the 2Way media outlet on October 20.

When asked whether Ukraine is a U.S. ally, Vance avoided a direct answer: “Well, they’re certainly a partner in some ways, but I think we have some divergent interests from time to time. Like, for example, do I think they should be bombing Russian diesel facilities that raise the cost of energy for Americans? No”.

The interviewer then pressed Vance on whether a “partner” differs from an “ally,” and whether a partnership implies a less close relationship than a formal alliance.

“We don’t have a formal alliance, as far as I know, with Ukraine. They’re not in NATO. I don’t think they should be in NATO. I think that they're a country, a very admirable country, a beautiful country with a lot of amazing people. We're going to work together on some things, but also we're going to be opposite on some things, too”, - said Vance.

As he added, Ukraine “should stop attacking Russian diesel facilities”.