LOS ANGELES / MOSCOW / KYIV - US Vice-President JD Vance said Sunday that Russia has made "significant concessions" in talks aimed at ending its conflict with Ukraine.

In an interview with NBC News, Vance rejected the notion that Moscow was stringing President Donald Trump along, saying the Russians have been "flexible" on some of their demands.

"I think the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict," Vance said. "They've actually been willing to be flexible on some of their core demands. They've talked about what would be necessary to end the war."

"Of course, they haven't been completely there yet, or the war would be over. But we're engaging in this diplomatic process in good faith," he added.

"We're going to keep on doing what we have to do to bring this thing to a close," Vance said. "I don't think it's going to happen overnight."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not being planned.

In an interview released on Sunday, Lavrov accused Western nations and Zelensky of obstructing peace talks on Ukraine.

Speaking to Russia-1 TV, Lavrov said Western countries "are just looking for an excuse to prevent negotiations." He added that Zelensky is "acting stubborn" and demanding an immediate meeting with Putin.

Lavrov said European countries were trying to undermine the progress made by Putin and Trump.

Trump met with Putin in Alaska on Aug 15 for talks, though no deal was reached. The US president also met with Zelensky and European leaders the following Monday in Washington. 

Canadian PM visit

In Kyiv on Sunday, Zelensky met with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss defense and energy cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides signed an agreement on drone co-production and an action plan for the implementation of the agreement on security cooperation, according to the Ukrainian presidential website.

Zelensky welcomed Canada's readiness to allocate $500 million under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative to help Ukraine procure US weapons.

He also proposed that Canada join major energy projects in Ukraine.

"We have the necessary port infrastructure and storage capacities. Ukrainian storage facilities can be used for the supply of Canadian gas," Zelensky said.

He further expressed hope that Canada could play an active role in implementing security guarantees for Ukraine.

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Speaking at a joint press conference following the meeting, Carney said his country is coordinating with allies, the "Coalition of the Willing" and Ukraine on security guarantees covering land, air and sea, adding that he would not exclude the presence of troops.

On Thursday, Lavrov said that deploying foreign troops in Ukraine is unacceptable to Russia.

Prisoner exchange

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine on Sunday exchanged 146 prisoners of conflict from each side, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Ukraine returned eight residents of Russia's Kursk region. The area was briefly seized by Ukraine in a surprise attack in August 2024, before Russian forces recaptured it earlier this year.

The Russian servicemen are in Belarus receiving psychological and medical assistance before being transported to Russia.

The United Arab Emirates mediated the exchange.

The third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine was held in Istanbul, Türkiye, on July 23, 2025. After the talks, Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky said both sides had agreed to exchange at least 1,200 prisoners each.

Russian strike

Also on Sunday, Russian forces launched a strike on a storage site for Ukrainian missiles and a drone workshop, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The strike targeted a storage site for "Sapsan" operational-tactical missiles, a drone production workshop and warehouse, and temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed formations in 146 areas, the ministry said in a statement.

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It added that Russian air defense systems shot down three HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system rounds and 172 drones over the past day.

On the other hand, Ukraine's Air Force said Sunday that Russia attacked with an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 72 combat and decoy drones overnight, adding that 48 of them were downed.