During a podcast interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about the ongoing negotiations over Ukraine and said that while it may take more than a few days to figure out if a negotiated settlement was possible, we "should be optimistic." He said both Moscow and Kyiv would need to compromise.

"I'm hopeful that we can get to something quickly," Rubio said, adding that a resolution might not come by the end of the week, as the president has suggested. "And I remain hopeful that we can get something done because this is a terrible war and it needs to end."

On territorial claims, Rubio said "we have to be frank," emphasizing that "Russia is not just going to roll over Ukraine and take the whole country, and Ukraine's not going to push them all the way back to where they were before 2014."

Speaking to reporters early Wednesday morning, Vance expressed his belief that the U.S. has "put together a very fair proposal."

"We've issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it's time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process," Vance said.

-- ABC News' Shannon Kingston and Alex Ederson

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Wednesday morning, saying the press has characterized the changes that he has pushed at the Pentagon as "chaos," and that the press characterized the 6 to 8% shift in existing DOD budget resources as a "cut."

Hegseth did not comment on any of the current controversies he is facing, instead focusing on restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and restoring deterrence.

He noted that the U.S. Army War College students are the future of the U.S. military.

-- ABC News' Luis Martinez

When asked about his confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's ability to do his job after DOD staffers said he was unfit for the job, Vice President JD Vance vehemently defended Hegseth, saying the secretary is "doing a great job."

"Look, I have 100% confidence in the secretary. I know the president does, and really the entire team does," Vance said. "As a man, as the Secretary of Defense, I think he's doing a great job."

Vance also pointed to military recruitment numbers, adding that in his view, this is the "best testament to his leadership of the military."

– ABC News' Alex Ederson

Speaking to reporters after touring the Taj Mahal Wednesday morning, Vice President JD Vance told reporters he is "saddened" by the death of Pope Francis, but he is "not currently planning to attend" his funeral on Saturday.

"I was able to see him very briefly the morning of Easter Sunday. I knew he was very ill. I didn't realize how sick he was," Vance said. "The thing that I will always remember Pope Francis for is that he was a great pastor. People on the margins, poor people, people suffering from diseases. They saw in Pope Francis an advocate and I think, a true expression of Christian love."

Vance acknowledged that Francis and the Trump administration have held disagreements on policy issues in the past but says he was still a "great Christian pastor."

"Yes, I'm aware that he had some disagreements with some of the policies of our administration. He also had a lot of agreements with some of the policies of our administration. I'm not going to soil the man's legacy by talking about politics," Vance said. "I think he was a great Christian pastor, and that's how I choose to remember the Holy Father."

While not wanting to influence the papal election, Vance said he hopes the cardinals "pick somebody who will be good for the world's Catholics."

– ABC News' Alex Ederson