J.D. Vance Asked About Being 'Putin's Puppet' While Skiing in Vermont, On Video

J.D. Vance may have been hoping for a relaxing weekend of skiing up in Vermont ... but, instead he nearly got taken out by another skier -- and called "Putin's puppet" by someone else on the mountain.

The vice president headed up to Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont for a weekend away from D.C. ... and, he hit the mountain Saturday on a pair of skis.

Check out video of the Veep obtained by TMZ ... you can't see his face, but eyewitnesses swear it's him, and he's been photographed skiing in a similar jacket. He's making his way down pretty slow -- though his technique looks good as glides across the fresh powder.

Everything goes well for J.D. ... before one skier gets taken out by another -- and nearly slams into him. The skier stops short -- but, it's probably closer than the Secret Service would've liked.

At least one person on the mountain clearly wasn't a Vance fan 'cause he was asked how it feels to be "Putin's puppet" while he headed toward the ski lift. Vance doesn't take the bait, just saying hello and moving on with his day.

Of course, the war in Ukraine is fresh in the minds of many Americans who watched Vance and President Donald Trump get into a tense back and forth with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office Friday.

As we told you ... Vance said Zelensky should thank Trump for attempting to save his country by looking for a diplomatic solution to the war and said Zelensky was being "disrespectful" for litigating the war in front of the American people.

Many weren't happy with the way Trump, Vance and Zelensky conducted themselves during the meeting ... and many in Vermont made their feelings known by protesting Vance's arrival in town.

The signs vary from calling Vance a traitor to saying the cows in the area have more intelligence than him. Worth noting, Kamala Harris dominated in Vermont ... winning nearly twice as many votes as President Trump in the state.