US Vice President JD Vance on Friday said he feels “optimistic” regarding the ongoing negotiations with Russia to bring the Ukraine war to an end, as he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
“Since there are the 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,” Vance said, without elaborating.
Vance and his family arrived in the Italian capital on Friday morning on the heels of Meloni’s visit to the White House on Thursday.
They are set to spend the Easter holidays in Rome, before travelling on to India next week.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, plans to attend Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Easter Sunday.
There is speculation that he may also meet Pope Francis. The pontiff has limited his public engagements following a serious bout of pneumonia that put him in the hospital for five weeks.
However, he may join a scheduled meeting between Vance and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.