Last week, he'd traveled to Paris, where he'd called for Europe to roll back its regulations on artificial intelligence, and then Munich, where he criticized the continent's commitment to democracy but didn’t mention Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"How are you going to end the war unless you're talking to Russia?" Vance said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. "I really believe we're on the cusp of peace in Europe for the first time in three years,

Vice President JD Vance remained positive about achieving peace in Europe Thursday after President Trump blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for being a “dictator.” “I really believe that we’re on the cusp of peace in Europe for the first time in three years,