Vice President JD Vance told American service members stationed at Royal Air Force Base Fairford on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is making it his mission to restore peace in Europe.
“The president of the United States came in six months ago, and I just talked to him right before I came on stage, and he said very simply that we are going to make it our mission as an administration to bring peace to Europe once again.”
Vance told the troops that they “make it possible” for Trump to have success negotiating from a position of strength.
NEW: Vice President Vance told U.S. troops at Royal Air Force Base Fairford in England that the strength of the American military is why President Trump is able to negotiate successfully. pic.twitter.com/4lCogXra2d
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“But as you all know, it isn’t possible to bring peace anywhere unless the bad guys are also worried that we’ve got a hell of a fine Air Force and a hell of a fine military to back up the peace, to begin with.”
Vance also mentioned the various conflicts around the world the Trump administration has been able to cool down or resolve since January including between Rwanda and the Congo, Serbia and Kosovo, and Cambodia and Thailand. He added that Trump’s next task is to make moves to end the war in Ukraine, mentioning the president’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
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“In just a couple of days, the president is headed to Anchorage, Alaska, to try to achieve an end to this terrible war in Russia and Ukraine,” Vance said. “You guys make that possible.”
Trump will meet with Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in the northern edge of Anchorage, Alaska. Trump has said that he plans for the meeting to be a “feel-out” session to see if brokering a ceasefire is possible.
“You guys are the reason why we have leverage in these conversations with world leaders because they know that if we cut a deal, it is backed up by the finest fighting force anywhere in the world and that’s what makes your job so important,” Vance said.
Vance added that he’s been meeting with European leaders — including an hour before the speech — to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
In an interview Tuesday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump wants to see Putin face-to-face to make an assessment.
“The president feels like, ‘look, I’ve got to look at this guy across the table. I need to see him face-to-face. I need to hear him one-on-one. I need to make an assessment by looking at him,’” Rubio said.
Trump has faced criticism for meeting with Putin before the Russian leader made any concessions to end the war, but Rubio defended the move, pointing to Trump’s history as a dealmaker.
“And people have to understand – for President Trump, a meeting is not a concession,” he said. “A meeting is what you do to kind of figure out and make your decision. I want to have all the facts. I want to look this guy in the eye. And that’s what the president wants to do. So honestly, I think we’re going to know very early in that meeting whether this thing has any chance of success or not.”
