Vice President JD Vance took to X to claim he wasn’t targeting the UK or France when he made the ‘random country’ dig while slamming proposals to send thousands of British and French troops to Ukraine
JD Vance says UK is a ‘random country that hasn’t been to war in 30 years’
JD Vance has sensationally claimed he wasn’t talking about the UK when discussing a “random country that hasn’t been to war in 30 years” while criticising proposals to send British peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.
Social media, MPs and former ministers all branded the US Vice President a “clown” and accused him of forgetting about the UK fighting alongside the US in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent decades.
Keir Starmer’s official spokesman declined to characterise Mr Vance’s comments as disrespectful when asked. But he said: “The PM and I think the whole country is full of admiration for all British troops who have served for instance in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom have lost their lives in the process and fought obviously alongside allies including the US.”
The Vice President has now taken to X to backpedal on his comment, insisting he wasn’t referring to the UK or France. He said: “This is absurdly dishonest. 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.” 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’s earlier comment was widely circulated after he appeared on Fox News and said the only way to secure lasting peace in Ukraine was to grant the US an “economic upside in the future of Ukraine”.
He said: “If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine. 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.”
He added: “The only guy in town with a strategy is the President of the United States, and everybody needs to follow his lead.”
People on X seemed wholly unconvinced by his backtracking today. One user questioned him: “Which country are you talking about? Has a country other than Britain or France proposed sending peacekeeping troops?”
Another said: “Are you suggesting that the contributions of Germany, the UK, and Australia in Afghanistan and Iraq were insignificant? These countries stood alongside the US, actively participating in these conflicts, and their support and sacrifices should not be overlooked.”
On Tuesday, the UK Government stood behind its commitment to securing peace in Ukraine and said it is “engaging with key allies” after Trump paused US military aid to the country.
A White House official said the US was “pausing and reviewing” aid to Ukraine to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”. Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelensky “committed” to that goal, the official added.
Ukraine said it would do all it can to maintain its ties with the US after an explosive confrontation at the White House on Friday, which saw Trump fly into a fit of rage during talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky – who he shouted at in front of reporters for being “disrespectful” to the United States.