US Vice President JD Vance has drawn widespread ridicule after suggesting that the Second World War ended through “negotiations,” while defending President Donald Trump’s push for a diplomatic settlement in Ukraine.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Vance told host Kristen Welker, “This is how wars ultimately get settled. If you go back to
World War II, if you go back to World War I, if you go back to every major conflict in human history, they all end with some kind of negotiations.”
Critics were quick to call out his version of history. “Hitler killed himself and Germany surrendered. Japan got nuked. Do they teach history in Ohio?” one person wrote on X. Another added, “World War 2 ended with the exact opposite of a negotiation.” A third mocked: “Nothing like getting community noted.”
Others piled on, “He didn’t really spend time in history class, did he? Or maybe he was just asleep.” Another bluntly said, “Brother, what sort of revisionist history are you preaching? Hitler killed himself.”
Some also mocked the interview itself, with one comment reading: “The fact he has to explain this to her is embarrassing… a real journalist should know this.”
As per HuffPost, Vance’s example overlooked the fact that Germany’s defeat came after Adolf Hitler’s suicide and the unconditional surrender signed on 7 May 1945. Japan followed suit after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, formally surrendering on 2 September 1945.
Even his First World War reference faltered. The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 was technically a negotiation, but by then, Germany had collapsed militarily and politically, with little bargaining power.
During the exchange, Welker raised concerns that Trump’s approach could mean forcing Ukraine to give up territory seized by Russia, a scenario President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently rejected.
Vance sidestepped, saying, “The Ukrainians are going to ultimately make the determination about where you draw the territorial lines in their own country.”
According to Daily Beast, Vance added that America’s role was now to act as mediator rather than an “active party.” He argued, “If Ukrainians are willing to say something on territory that brings the conflict to a close, we’re not going to stop them. We’re also not going to force them, because it’s not our country.”
While many mocked his World War II comparison, some online users defended Vance by noting Japan was allowed to keep its emperor and that post-war Germany was divided through Allied negotiations. “There were negotiations, it was just very one-sided,” one supporter commented.
While many mocked his World War II comparison, some online users defended Vance by noting Japan was allowed to keep its emperor and that post-war Germany was divided through Allied negotiations. “There were negotiations, it was just very one-sided,” one supporter commented.
Still, most criticism focused on his shaky history. As one user summed it up: “Uhh… Hitler killed himself and we nuked Japan twice. That’s how WWII ended. Neither negotiated their way to an end. They were decimated with overwhelming military power.”
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