US Vice President JD Vance denied on Tuesday disrespecting the UK and France after his comments about a planned peacekeeping force in Ukraine. He referred to the force as “20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years,” which caused outrage among politicians and veterans in both countries, who felt the remark dishonoured the troops who had fought alongside US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Vance called accusations that he had criticized British or French troops “absurdly dishonest” and clarified that he did not specifically mention the UK or France in the interview, during which he discussed the potential involvement of other countries in a post-war peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Both Britain and France have publicly committed to such a force.
Vance emphasized that his comments were directed at other countries potentially contributing to the peacekeeping mission. He acknowledged that the UK and France had fought bravely alongside the US in the past two decades.
Criticism came swiftly from British and French leaders. James Cartlidge, the UK’s Conservative defense spokesperson, called Vance’s comments “deeply disrespectful.” British veteran and former defense minister Johnny Mercer called Vance a “clown,” while French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu vowed to ensure their veterans were respected. French President Emmanuel Macron’s party condemned the remarks as disrespectful to soldiers who fought alongside US forces.
In defense, Vance’s spokesperson, Taylor Van Kirk, argued that no European country could effectively deter Russia without American assistance, noting the challenges of assembling a meaningful European military force without US support.
Vance also suggested that securing Ukraine’s minerals for the US would be a more effective long-term security guarantee than deploying a peacekeeping force.
