Vice President JD Vance on Sunday attributed President Donald Trump’s recent change in attitude toward the Russian-Ukrainian war to the loss of human life and the impact to Russia’s economy.

“The Russian economy is in shambles. The Russians are not gaining much on the battlefield. It’s clearly time for them to listen to his passionate plea for them to come to the table and actually talk seriously about peace,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum that aired on “Fox News Sunday.”

“I think what has changed is the reality on the ground, with the Russians killing a lot of people and losing a lot of people and they don’t have much to show for it,” he added.

During a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations General Assembly last week, Trump said that NATO allies should shoot down Russian aircraft encroaching on their airspace. He also said that the U.S. would continue to supply weapons to NATO “for NATO to do what they want with them.” Then, Trump asserted that Ukraine can not only win the war against Russia, but also take back lost territory.

The president’s confidence in Ukraine is vastly different from his previous statements that Ukraine could not win the war and should concede its lost territory to Russia. His appearance with Zelenskyy last week was also a stark contrast to a February meeting with the Ukrainian president when both Trump and Vance lashed out at Zelenskyy. At the time, Trump had said Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations.”

Trump during the 2024 campaign repeatedly said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day in office. But Vance on Sunday appeared to lay blame on Russia for the war continuing in Europe.

“What we have seen over the last couple weeks, the Russians have refused to sit down with any bilateral meetings with Ukrainians. They have refused to sit down with any trilateral meetings,” Vance said. “A lot of people are dying and they don’t have a lot to show for it. How many more people are they willing to lose? How many people are they willing to kill for very little, if any, gain in the military advantage on the ground there?”

Vance on Sunday stopped short of saying he would support sending Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine, which Zelenskyy reportedly asked Trump for during their meeting at the United Nations.

When MacCallum asked Vance if he would support sending the missiles to Ukraine, Vance replied that it is something that the president will make the final determination on.

“What the president will do is what’s in the best interest of the United States of America,” Vance said.

As the war in Europe continues, Vance also expressed “cautious” optimism for the war in Gaza.

Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have been ongoing, and Vance said the president “wants Gaza to be controlled by the people who live there.”

“I think the president has gotten us to a point where we are at the one-yard line and all of us are very hopeful we can punch through to the end zone and accomplish a major, major thing for peace in the region,” Vance said, even as he cautioned that there is still a possibility for last minute changes.

“I am more optimistic about where we are then where we have been at any point but let’s be realistic, these things can get derailed at the very last minute,” he said.