A new book claims JD Vance proposed India as a possible peacekeeping force in Ukraine during a White House strategy meeting
US Vice President JD Vance proposed deploying Indian troops as part of a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine during a White House strategy meeting earlier this year, but President Donald Trump quickly dismissed the idea, according to a new book by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
The claim appears in Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, released on Tuesday. The book says the discussion took place in the Oval Office on January 30, just 10 days after Trump began his second term, as senior officials debated Washington’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to the authors, the meeting was attended by Trump, Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who later became Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine.
Vance floated India, Saudi Arabia for peacekeeping role
The book says Kellogg presented a proposal titled An America First Plan: Trump’s Historic Peace Deal for Russia-Ukraine War, which reportedly included the possibility of foreign peacekeeping troops to support a ceasefire.
Vance is said to have objected to the use of NATO troops, arguing that such a move could provoke Russia further. During the discussion, he reportedly asked whether troops from countries outside Europe could be used instead and suggested India and Saudi Arabia as possible contributors.
Trump, however, rejected the idea on the spot, according to the book.
“The Indians won’t do that. They won’t pay for something like that,” Trump allegedly told Vance, while also referring to his personal rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India has maintained neutral line on Ukraine conflict
India has consistently maintained that the Russia-Ukraine conflict must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy rather than military escalation. New Delhi has repeatedly called for an immediate end to hostilities and stressed that this is “not an era of war”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, on multiple occasions, conveyed India’s position directly to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reiterating that India remains committed to peace and dialogue.
The question of India sending troops to Ukraine has never been formally taken up by the Indian government.
India has extensive peacekeeping experience
India is one of the world’s largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions and has served in conflict zones including South Sudan, Lebanon and Somalia. That track record may explain why Vance viewed India as a possible non-NATO option for a future stabilisation force in Ukraine.
Still, the book suggests Trump saw little prospect of New Delhi agreeing to such a deployment, despite his belief that he enjoyed a strong personal relationship with Modi.
The account offers a fresh glimpse into internal White House deliberations on Ukraine and highlights how India featured in early discussions around a possible post-war security arrangement, even if the proposal never moved beyond the Oval Office.
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