• Speaking during an interview on Fox News, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration was working to "find some middle ground" to stop a conflict that has been raging for more than three years.
• "It's not going anywhere ... it's not going to end any time soon," Vance said.
• His comments come shortly after the U.S. and Ukraine signed a long-awaited minerals deal, an agreement that Vance said showed the White House is making progress.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has warned Russia's of Ukraine is not likely to come to an end "any time soon."

Speaking during an interview on Fox News, Vance said on Thursday that President Donald Trump's administration was to "find some middle ground" to stop a conflict that has been raging for more than three years.

"It's not going anywhere ... it's not going to end any time soon," Vance said.

His comments come shortly after the U.S. and Ukraine signed a , an agreement that Vance said showed the White House is making progress.

He later added that while he was "optimistic" of a breakthrough in peace talks, "it's hard to say confident" because Russia and Ukraine will "have to take the final step."

After months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an economic partnership that provides Washington with preferential access to some of Kyiv's natural resources.

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent the "historic" agreement would allow the two countries to invest together to accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery and help to "facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war."

For its part, Ukraine said the partnership was capable of delivering success for both Washington and Kyiv.

Since his inauguration in January, Trump has pushed for a minerals deal with Ukraine, saying an agreement  Kyiv's deposits of rare earths, critical minerals, oil, gas and other natural resources would act, effectively, as compensation for U.S. aid to Ukraine throughout the war with Russia.

Before his presidential victory last fall, Trump pledged to end Russia's war with Ukraine in just "."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday that Washington could step back from its mediation efforts unless Russia and Ukraine delivered "concrete proposals" on how to end the conflict.

The Kremlin on Wednesday reiterated previous statements that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to peace talks with Ukraine.

— C온라인카지노사이트's Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.