A summit between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is set for August 15 in Alaska

The path to ending the Ukraine conflict should be based on the existing battle lines, US Vice President J.D. Vance has said. He described it as a realistic if imperfect foundation for a negotiated peace.

Speaking to Fox News, Vance credited President Donald Trump with securing a breakthrough that could bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky to the table.

"If you take where the current line of contact between Russia and Ukraine is, we're going to try to find some negotiated settlement that the Ukrainians and the Russians can live with... where the killing stops," Vance said, admitting that "it's not going to make anybody super happy."

Vance claimed Trump had convinced Putin to walk back his refusal to meet with Zelensky, and that scheduling talks between the three leaders was now under discussion. Asked if Putin and Zelensky should meet before involving Trump, Vance replied, "I actually don't think it would be that productive," arguing that the US president must be the one to "bring these two together" for meaningful progress.

Russia has long said it is interested in a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict, but has insisted on one that brings about a permanent and stable peace.

Trump and Putin are set to meet next Friday in Alaska, with a possible deal on the conflict between Kiev and Moscow at the top of the agenda. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has already rejected any truce that would involve territorial concessions, despite Trump saying they would be part of the proposed agreement.

Moscow has called Zelensky's continued claim to the presidency unconstitutional since his term expired last year. Putin has said he is willing to meet the Ukrainian leader to finalize - but not negotiate - a truce. He also suggested that the question of Zelensky's disputed status needs to be addressed to ensure the legality of any future treaty.