U.S. Vice President JD Vance has sparked controversy with his comments about a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Opposition politicians in the U.K. accused him of disrespecting British forces. Vance said that a U.S. stake in Ukraine's economy would be a better security guarantee than troops from a country that hasn't fought a war in decades.
However, he did not specify which country or countries he was referring to. The U.K. and France have said they would be willing to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peace deal. Vance later insisted that he did not mention the U.K. or France, adding that both had fought bravely alongside the U.S. over the last 20 years and beyond.
In a social media post, Vance added that many countries are volunteering support but lack the battlefield experience or military equipment to do anything meaningful. So far, only the U.K. and France have publicly committed troops towards policing any potential peace deal in Ukraine. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that a "number of countries" have agreed to this.
Vance's comments came as the U.S. paused military aid to Ukraine following a heated exchange between President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week. Zelensky left the White House before a proposed deal on sharing Ukrainian minerals with American companies could be signed. Vance told Fox News that giving Americans an economic upside in Ukraine's future is a better security guarantee than troops from a random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years.
Sir Keir has said that if there is a deal to end the war, U.S. security guarantees, such as air cover, will be needed to deter Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine again. However, Trump has refused to pledge this, instead arguing that U.S. workers in Ukraine as part of a minerals deal could provide such assurances. Earlier, Vance's original comments drew criticism from U.K. opposition politicians.
Conservative shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge pointed out that both the U.K. and France deployed forces alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan, calling it "deeply disrespectful to ignore such service and sacrifice." When asked about Vance's comments later, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that the vice president did not call Britain a "random country" and urged people to keep cool heads.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Vance was "wrong, wrong, wrong," adding that the U.K. "stood by America" for 20 years in Afghanistan. Liberal Democrat defense spokesperson Helen Maguire, a former captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq, urged the U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, to call on Vance to apologize for the comments.
Maguire said that Vance is erasing from history the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. She saw firsthand how American and British soldiers fought bravely together shoulder to shoulder, with six members of her regiment not returning home from Iraq. Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, a former British Army officer who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, called the disrespect shown by Vance to the sacrifices of U.K. service personnel unacceptable.
After Vance posted on social media to defend his comments, Obese-Jecty told BBC Two's Politics Live program that it's difficult to see who he was talking about if not Britain and France. He called on the vice president to clarify which countries he was referring to and to apologize, saying that Vance had caused "real offense." Downing Street refused to say whether the prime minister found the comments insulting or disrespectful but expressed admiration for all British troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.K. joined the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, following the 9/11 attacks, with France also sending forces to the country. More than 150,000 British personnel have served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, with the final troops withdrawing in 2021. The U.K. was also part of a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, with British forces in the country peaking at 46,000.
However, he did not specify which country or countries he was referring to. The U.K. and France have said they would be willing to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peace deal. Vance later insisted that he did not mention the U.K. or France, adding that both had fought bravely alongside the U.S. over the last 20 years and beyond.
In a social media post, Vance added that many countries are volunteering support but lack the battlefield experience or military equipment to do anything meaningful. So far, only the U.K. and France have publicly committed troops towards policing any potential peace deal in Ukraine. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that a "number of countries" have agreed to this.
Vance's comments came as the U.S. paused military aid to Ukraine following a heated exchange between President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week. Zelensky left the White House before a proposed deal on sharing Ukrainian minerals with American companies could be signed. Vance told Fox News that giving Americans an economic upside in Ukraine's future is a better security guarantee than troops from a random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years.
Sir Keir has said that if there is a deal to end the war, U.S. security guarantees, such as air cover, will be needed to deter Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine again. However, Trump has refused to pledge this, instead arguing that U.S. workers in Ukraine as part of a minerals deal could provide such assurances. Earlier, Vance's original comments drew criticism from U.K. opposition politicians.
Conservative shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge pointed out that both the U.K. and France deployed forces alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan, calling it "deeply disrespectful to ignore such service and sacrifice." When asked about Vance's comments later, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that the vice president did not call Britain a "random country" and urged people to keep cool heads.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Vance was "wrong, wrong, wrong," adding that the U.K. "stood by America" for 20 years in Afghanistan. Liberal Democrat defense spokesperson Helen Maguire, a former captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq, urged the U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, to call on Vance to apologize for the comments.
Maguire said that Vance is erasing from history the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. She saw firsthand how American and British soldiers fought bravely together shoulder to shoulder, with six members of her regiment not returning home from Iraq. Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, a former British Army officer who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, called the disrespect shown by Vance to the sacrifices of U.K. service personnel unacceptable.
After Vance posted on social media to defend his comments, Obese-Jecty told BBC Two's Politics Live program that it's difficult to see who he was talking about if not Britain and France. He called on the vice president to clarify which countries he was referring to and to apologize, saying that Vance had caused "real offense." Downing Street refused to say whether the prime minister found the comments insulting or disrespectful but expressed admiration for all British troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.K. joined the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, following the 9/11 attacks, with France also sending forces to the country. More than 150,000 British personnel have served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, with the final troops withdrawing in 2021. The U.K. was also part of a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, with British forces in the country peaking at 46,000.
