Vice President JD Vance is embarking on a weeklong trip that combines diplomacy and sports, leading the U.S. delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy, before travelling to Armenia and Azerbaijan to support a peace agreement brokered by the White House last year.
At the opening ceremony on Friday, Vance will be joined by his wife, second lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta. Former Olympic gold medalists, including hockey players Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, speedskater Apolo Ohno, and figure skater Evan Lysacek, will also be part of the delegation. Before the ceremony, Vance plans to watch the U.S. women's hockey team play Czechia in a preliminary game on Thursday.
After Italy, Vance will travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan, where President Donald Trump has tasked him with building on a deal aimed at ending four decades of conflict. The peace agreement boosts U.S. influence in the region as Russia's wanes, and includes reopening key transport routes, bolstering cooperation in energy, technology, and the economy, and creating a transit corridor called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.
The trip may be one of only a few international journeys Vance makes this year, as the White House focuses on domestic issues ahead of the November midterm elections. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said last month that Trump and his Cabinet are prioritising domestic travel.
Vance follows in the footsteps of former vice presidents Joe Biden, who attended the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and Mike Pence, who went to Pyeongchang in 2018. Former Vice President Kamala Harris did not attend the 2022 Beijing Games due to a diplomatic boycott over human rights concerns.
Marc Short, former chief of staff to Pence, noted that vice presidents often handle trips that are 'a little off the beaten path,' as presidents focus on major allies. Vance's mission to further the peace effort mirrors a similar assignment in October, when he visited Israel after a ceasefire in its war with Hamas.
