Vance says ‘we’re on the cusp of peace,’ defends Trump’s takedown of Ukraine’s Zelensky

WASHINGTON — 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, because we have leadership from the Oval Office, and we haven’t had it in four years in this country,” Vance said in his speech at CPAC.

Vance didn’t mention Zelensky by name, but defended Trump’s choice to hold US talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia without a Ukrainian presence.

“How are you going to end the war unless you’re talking to Russia? You’ve got to talk to everybody involved in the fighting if you actually want to bring the come close,” he said.

The positive view on bringing the war to a close comes one day after Trump bashed Zelensky, calling for Ukraine to hold elections to oust the leader and claiming it was the war-torn country that started the conflict.

Vance also took to social media to torch historian Niall Ferguson on X, who alluded to Trump’s apparent lack of outrage to Russia’s invasion — unlike former President George Bush, who said “this will not stand” upon the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

“This is moralistic garbage, which is unfortunately the rhetorical currency of the globalists because they have nothing else to say,” Vance responded to Ferguson on X in a lengthy post.

“What is Niall’s actual plan for Ukraine? Another aid package? Is he aware of the reality on the ground, of the numerical advantage of the Russians, of the depleted stock of the Europeans or their even more depleted industrial base?” the veep continued, arguing that Ferguson is not in the right “historical period.”

Vance said Europe has benefited from US aid to Ukraine — but has not shown gratitude — and that the war has stressed American stockpiles.

“The conflict has placed — and continues to place — stress on tools of American statecraft, from military stockpiles to sanctions (and so much else). We believe the continued conflict is bad for Russia, bad for Ukraine, and bad for Europe. But most importantly, it is bad for the United States,” he wrote.

Zelensky has not responded to Trump labeling him a “dictator,” but the Ukrainian leader did say the president was living in a Russian “disinformation” space after he accused Kyiv of starting a war with Moscow.

Vance revealed in an interview with the Daily Mail on Wednesday that Zelensky’s comments had ticked off the president, who doesn’t like “badmouthing.”

“The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president’s mind by badmouthing him in public media … everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,” Vance told the outlet.