US Vice President JD Vance has admitted that he didn't mention his cousin Nate Vance - who recently blasted the Second in Command and President Donald Trump as Vladimir Putin's "useful idiots" due to their administration's position on the Ukraine war - was involved in the Ukraine war because he "didn't want to endanger his life more than it already was."
Three weeks after the beginning of the war in 2022, Nate - a former US Marine who warned that Russia would "not hesitate to eat an American President or Vice President" - joined the Da Vinci Wolves First Motorized Battalion, which was comprised of volunteers.
Vance's stint in Ukraine lasted until January of 2025 when he left because "It had become complicated to stay. I couldn't take the risk of being captured."
Nate subsequently criticized America's policy towards Ukraine and placed particular emphasis on what he described as the "ambush" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an awkward encounter at The White House, which culminated in Zelensky being "kicked out" of the Oval Office.
Despite his cousin's rebukes, Vice President Vance told Fox News that Nate is regularly in contact with his immediate family.
"As far as his criticisms, I have no interest in arguing with him in public, but I do feel the need to address one issue in particular: his failed effort to contact me.
"I am unsure why Nate felt the need to reach out to my Senate office, rather than to his mom, dad, or sister, all of whom I am in contact with regularly," he said.
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Vance described Nate as the "toughest guy I know" and said he was "always happy to talk to him."
When asked why Vance didn't publicize his cousin fighting for Ukraine, the Vice President said he "didn't want to endanger his life more than it already was."
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