US Vice President James David Vance said that the war in Ukraine "will not end anytime soon."

Vance said that the question facing the US administration at the moment is how to help Russia and Ukraine "find a middle ground" to end the conflict, which has been going on for more than three years.

However, he added that "it is up to [Russia and Ukraine] to reach an agreement and end this brutal, violent conflict," the BBC reported.

His comments came shortly after Washington signed an agreement with Kiev to share the profits from Ukraine's rare earth minerals in exchange for future security assistance from the US.

The vice president made the comments in an extensive interview with Fox News, in which he defended Trump's approach to the war in Ukraine.

"Yes, of course, [Ukrainians] are angry that they've been attacked. But are we going to keep losing thousands and thousands of soldiers for a few kilometers of territory one way or another?" he said.

Trump suggested this week that Ukraine may be ready to cede Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, in order to achieve a truce.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier hinted that he would not be able to accept Russian control over the peninsula, citing the Ukrainian constitution.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a "breakthrough" in the conflict was needed soon, otherwise Trump "will have to decide how much time to devote to this."

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this week a temporary three-day ceasefire starting May 8 to coincide with celebrations marking the anniversary of the end of World War II.

In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Shevchenko called for an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

But fighting between the two sides continues.

On May 1, a Russian drone attacked the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring 14 people but causing no deaths.

Separately, Moscow accused Ukraine of using drones to attack a market in the Russian-controlled southern part of Ukraine. According to Russian officials, seven people were killed and more than 20 were wounded.

Kiev denied the accusations, adding that the attack was directed only against military personnel. | BGNES