Vice President's cousin denounces anti-Ukraine stance: "We are Putin's useful idiots"
- We are Putin's useful idiots - states Nate Vance, cousin of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, in an interview with "Le Figaro." Nate fought as a volunteer in Ukraine for three years and is now furious with his relative. - Just because I'm related to you doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and watch you get my comrades killed - he says.
Nate Vance and J.D. Vance are closely related; they share grandparents. J.D. Vance's mother, Beverly, is Nate's father James' sister (J.D. Vance uses his mother's last name - ed.). They spent childhood vacations together either in Middletown with J.D.'s family or in California, where Nate's family briefly lived.
In 2023, J.D. Vance was elected as a senator for Ohio. A year later, in 2024, he became the 50th Vice President of the United States alongside Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Nate Vance decided to go to Ukraine to fight the Russians.
He arrived there shortly after the war broke out in 2022. - I wanted to help in some way, in logistics or medical support. I could see that history was being written in front of me, I wanted to be part of i - he tells "Le Figaro."
He wanted to help, ended up on the front lines
At the hotel where he was staying, he met a British volunteer looking for foreigners with military experience. He agreed to assist in training young soldiers. Before he knew it, he was on the front lines with them. He participated in battles for Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Pokrovsk... He was a soldier of the "Honor" assault company, and later with the "Da Vinci Wolves" battalion.
- Nate is an excellent fighter with remarkable composure - recalls Serhiy Filimonov, the current commander of the "Da Vinci Wolves" battalion. - Fifteen times we should have died — fifteen times we were lucky to survive - he recounts.
In January 2025, when J.D. Vance became the Vice President of the USA, and Nate decided to leave his comrades and return to the USA. "It had become complicated to stay. I couldn't take the risk of being captured," he said outright.
"It was an ambush of absolute bad faith"
A few days ago, when Nate Vance heard his cousin J.D. Vance attacking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House, he admits he flew into a rage. He was disappointed in his younger cousin, whose integrity he always defended. - JD is a good and intelligent guy - he emphasizes. - When he criticised aid to Ukraine, I thought it was because he had to appease a certain electorate, that it was political manoeuvring. But what they did to Zelensky was an ambush of absolute bad faith - he states.
- Just because I'm related to you doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and watch you get my comrades killed - he tells "Le Figaro." - I was disappointed. When JD justifies his distrust of Zelensky by the 'reports' he has seen, I thought I was going to choke - he says with indignation.
- His own cousin was on the front lines. I could have told him the truth, without pretence, without personal interest. He never tried to find out more - he says.
- Donald Trump and my cousin clearly think they can appease Vladimir Putin. They are wrong. The Russians are unlikely to forget our support for Ukraine. We are Vladimir Putin's useful idiots - Nate Vance laments in an interview with "Le Figaro."
