Vance on calling Putin an 'enemy': 'We’re not in a war with him'

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s running mate, refrained from labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin an “enemy,” instead saying he’s an “adversary” and urging diplomacy to help end the war in Ukraine.

Asked whether Putin is an ally or enemy, Vance said, “I think that he’s clearly an adversary. He is a competitor. But I think that we also have to be smart about diplomacy, too,” in an interview with host Kristen Welker on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”

Pressed on whether he would be willing to call Putin an enemy, Vance said, “Well, we're not in a war with him, and I don't want to be in a war with Vladimir Putin's Russia. I think that we should try to pursue avenues of peace.”

Vance said he does not condone Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but said he thinks diplomacy will be necessary to end the war in Ukraine, which began in late February 2022 when Russia launched its attack.

“Just because we don't like somebody doesn't mean that we can't occasionally engage in conversations with them. And I think it's important if we're ever going to end the war in Ukraine fundamentally at some level, we're going to have to engage in some sort of negotiation between Ukraine, between Russia, between our NATO allies in Europe. And that's just a necessary part,” he said.

“Doesn't mean we have to like it, by the way. Doesn't mean we condone the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But I think that sometimes you do have to engage in diplomacy even with, and maybe especially with, your adversaries,” he continued.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Harris has criticized her political opponent for pushing Ukraine to quickly cut a deal to end the war.

“They are not proposals for peace,” Harris said, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky late last month. “Instead, they are proposals for surrender.”