ROME (Reuters)

The United States is optimistic about ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to Vice President JD Vance, who met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for the second time in 24 hours.

Vance and Meloni met in Washington on Thursday and then flew to Rome ahead of the Easter holidays.

> “I want to update the prime minister on some of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine … even in the past 24 hours, we think we have some interesting things to report on,” Vance told reporters alongside Meloni.

He emphasized, “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.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that U.S. President Donald Trump might abandon efforts to broker a peace deal within days unless clear signs of progress are visible.