Aysu Bicer
05 March 2025•Update: 05 March 2025
LONDON
British politicians have reacted furiously to US Vice President JD Vance's remarks, which appeared to dismiss the UK and France's military contributions.
Vance referred to a proposed Anglo-French peacekeeping deployment to Ukraine as "20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years."
The comments were made during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, where Vance criticized the idea of countries other than the US providing security guarantees.
Vance said that a proposed minerals agreement, which would give the US increased economic interests in Ukraine, would be a "far better security guarantee" than troops from countries without recent military experience.
He did not name France and the UK, but those are the only two countries that have publicly said they would be willing to put troops in Ukraine as part of a peace deal.
His remarks sparked immediate backlash, particularly from UK politicians, who were outraged by his apparent dismissal of their military efforts.
James Cartlidge, the shadow defense secretary, condemned Vance’s comments.
"Britain and France came to their (the US’s) aid, deploying thousands of personnel to Afghanistan, including my own brother and numerous parliamentary colleagues, past and present. It’s deeply disrespectful to ignore such service and sacrifice," Cartlidge said.
Former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly slammed Vance’s statement as "foolish and insulting," adding that it disregarded the critical role played by the UK and France in supporting the US after the 9/11 attacks.
"I understand that he has explained his position, but I think it was a hurtful and thoughtless remark," Cleverly said during an interview with Times Radio.
Vance later responded, claiming that his remarks were not directed at the UK or France, but rather at other nations that may offer support in the peacekeeping efforts but lack the necessary military experience or equipment.
"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," Vance tweeted. "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."
Johnny Mercer, a former Conservative MP and ex-armed forces minister, called Vance a "clown."
"Perhaps if he had got his hands dirty serving his country like so many of his fellow American and British veterans, chasing his own country’s crazy foreign policy ideas, he might not be so quick to dismiss their sacrifice," Mercer said.
