United States Vice President, JD Vance on Tuesday denied disrespecting Britain and France after describing a planned European peacekeeping force in Ukraine as “20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
Vance’s remarks, made in a Monday interview with Fox News, drew backlash from politicians and veterans in both countries, who accused him of disregarding the sacrifices of British and French troops who fought alongside U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dismissing the criticism on X, Vance said it was “absurdly dishonest” to claim he had criticised British or French troops. “I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond.”
Only Britain and France have so far publicly committed to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Vance clarified on Tuesday that his remarks referred to other potential contributors to what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called “a coalition of the willing” for post-war peacekeeping in Ukraine.
British and French troops have fought alongside U.S. forces in multiple conflicts over the past 40 years, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
The comments sparked condemnation in the UK, with James Cartlidge, the opposition Conservative Party’s defence spokesman, calling them “deeply disrespectful.” Johnny Mercer, a British veteran and former junior defence minister, labelled Vance a “clown.”
Reuters reports that in France, Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu told parliament, “We respect the veterans of all the allied countries. We will make sure that our own veterans are respected.”
French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party echoed the sentiment on X, stating, “The French and British soldiers who died fighting terrorism, who fought and sometimes died alongside American soldiers, deserve better than the disdain of the American vice president.”
Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform Party and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, also criticised Vance’s remarks, calling them “wrong, wrong, wrong.”
In response to the controversy, Vance’s spokesperson, Taylor Van Kirk, defended his broader point, saying that no European country has the military strength to deter Russia without American support.
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“Many of these countries have served valiantly in support of American and NATO missions in the past, but it’s dishonest to pretend those contributions amount to anything comparable to the mobilization that a hypothetical European army would need,” she said.
Vance’s initial remarks came as he argued that the best way to secure Ukraine’s future was through economic investment by the United States.
“If you want to actually ensure that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” he told Fox News.
“That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
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