Vice President JD Vance voiced confidence that the United States would be able to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia, even as others in the Trump administration express doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about negotiations.

“We think we have some interesting things to report on, of course, in private. So 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 as he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday in Rome, where he will spend Good Friday through Easter.