Fact Check: Yes, Vice President JD Vance's cousin Nate fought in Ukraine for three years
Claim:
U.S. Vice President JD Vance's cousin Nate Vance fought in Ukraine for three years during its war with Russia.
Rating:
In March 2025, posts appeared on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky and X, alleging that U.S. Vice President JD Vance's cousin Nate Vance volunteered to fight in Ukraine for three years during its war with Russia. Some posts claimed Nate Vance was speaking out to criticize his cousin after learning about the contentious meeting U.S. President Donald Trump and JD Vance held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28, 2025.
Snopes readers searched our site and submitted emails asking if the claim was true. While we could not independently confirm that the claim was true, several reputable news organizations from various countries, including CNN and French newspaper Le Figaro (archived), all reported that Vance volunteered to fight in Ukraine and served alongside Ukrainian forces for three years, and provided sufficient photographic evidence.
The story was first reported by the French-language newspaper Le Figaro on March 9. In that article, which Snopes translated to English, Nate Vance said he served for four years in the Marines between the ages of 18 and 22. He originally visited Ukraine just a few weeks after Russia began a full-scale invasion there in late February 2022 and was on the war's front lines by June 2022. He kept his familial connection to JD Vance relatively hidden and returned to the United States in January 2025, not willing to risk being captured.
Nate Vance, a Texas native, also criticized his cousin's treatment of Zelenskyy during the Feb. 28 Oval Office meeting, according to Le Figaro:
"Donald Trump and my cousin clearly believe they can coax Vladimir Putin. They are wrong. The Russians are not about to forget our support for Ukraine. We are Vladimir Putin's useful idiots."
In the days following the publication of the Le Figaro article, Nate Vance spoke to several other news outlets, including the BBC, where he said he felt "attached to the Ukrainian issue," but would still be speaking out even without his personal connections:
"If it were some other completely neutral issue ... and I saw White House officials and hack journalists that are political, belittling a foreign leader, I'd be like 'what the hell is going on?'"
Nate Vance shared photos of himself on the front lines in Ukraine and family photos including both him and his cousin with Le Figaro and CNN. Vance was recognizable in the front-line photos, and both men were recognizable in the family photos.
"Fact-Checking Trump and Vance's Attacks on Ukrainian President Zelenskyy." PBS News, 2 Mar. 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-trump-and-vances-attacks-on-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy.
JD Vance's Cousin Criticises Him for "belittling" Zelensky. 10 Mar. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2yl5kevrpo.
""Nous sommes les idiots utiles de Vladimir Poutine" : Le Figaro a retrouvé Nate, cousin germain de JD Vance et combattant volontaire en Ukraine." Le Figaro, 9 Mar. 2025, https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/nous-sommes-les-idiots-utiles-de-vladimir-poutine-nate-cousin-germain-de-jd-vance-et-combattant-volontaire-en-ukraine-20250309.
Peleschuk, Dan. "Prominent Ukrainian Army Unit Launches Own Recruitment Drive to Strengthen Ranks." Reuters, 16 Feb. 2024. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/prominent-ukrainian-army-unit-launches-own-recruitment-drive-strengthen-ranks-2024-02-16/.
Perry, Alex. "JD Vance Responds to His Cousin's 'idiot' Criticism, Citing 'Failed Effort to Contact Me.'" The Enquirer, https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2025/03/12/jd-vance-cousin-nate-vance-who-donald-trump-putin-idiots/82306816007/. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
"What They Said: Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance's Heated Argument in the Oval Office." AP News, 28 Feb. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-vance-transcript-oval-office-80685f5727628c64065da81525f8f0cf
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