Vance sparks UK anger over troops in Ukraine comment
US Vice President J.D. Vance has provoked anger in the UK with remarks about a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Vance stated that a potential minerals deal with the US would provide Ukraine with a “better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
Vance did not specify which country or countries he was referring to, but so far only London and Paris have publicly said they would be willing to put troops on the ground as part of a peace deal.
Multiple British politicians have interpreted Vance’s dismissal as a veiled jibe at the UK and France. The US VP has been accused of “disrespecting” the British military, with even Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a Trump ally, insisting that Vance was “wrong” and that the UK “stood by America” for 20 years in Afghanistan.
James Cartlidge, the shadow defense secretary, blasted Vance for “ignoring the service and sacrifice” of troops from the UK and France who fought in Afghanistan, and former Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer even called Vance a “clown” who “needs to check his privilege.”
Vance has hit back, saying in a post on X that he did not “even mention the UK or France.” Both “fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond,” he added.
“But let’s be direct: there are many countries who are volunteering (privately or publicly) support who have neither the battlefield experience nor the military equipment to do anything meaningful,” Vance explained.
The vice president’s comments came as US President Donald Trump ordered a pause to all US military aid to Ukraine following a verbal altercation between Trump and Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office last week.
Zelensky was accused of “disrespecting” the US, with Trump insisting that the Ukrainian leader doesn’t want peace. A proposed minerals deal between the US and Ukraine was left unsigned as a result.
Kiev’s backers held an emergency summit after Zelensky’s failed Washington visit and came up with an alternative plan to stop the fighting.
Proposed by Paris and London, the plan envisages a month-long truce covering air, sea, and energy infrastructure with a subsequent deployment of Western European peacekeepers, led by France and the UK.
Russia has rejected a temporary ceasefire, insisting on a permanent, legally binding peace deal. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the presence of Western European peacekeepers would escalate the conflict. Moscow earlier warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine without a UN mandate would be considered legitimate targets.
