Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that President Donald Trump remains hopeful about reaching a successful resolution to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Vance made the remarks during a bilateral meeting in Rome with Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
“I want to update the prime minister on some of the negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and also some of the things that have happened even in the past 24 hours,” Vance said.
“I think we have some interesting things to report on, of course, in private, some negotiations. I won’t prejudge them, but we do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this war, this very brutal war, to a close.”
His comments come just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that the Trump administration might consider stepping back from efforts to mediate the war if no progress is made in the coming days.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has stretched on for over three years, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
Trump, along with several European allies, has been working behind the scenes to broker a peace deal aimed at ending the conflict between the two neighboring countries.