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The Labour shadow defence secretary and other Members of Parliament have expressed strong dismay after JD Vance appeared to characterize a proposed Anglo-French peace deployment to Ukraine as “20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
This comes after Downing Street confirmed that Keir Starmer had a discussion with Donald Trump on Monday night, part of ongoing UK efforts to mend a fragile peace plan for Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News, Vance, the outspoken US vice-president, was scathing about other countries’ ability to provide meaningful security guarantees post a peace deal.
A proposed minerals agreement would give the US more economic interests in Ukraine thus offering “a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years,” argued Vance.
While UK politicians generally agree that a US military presence will be necessary in any peace deal, they were quick to criticize Vance’s apparent disregard for the UK military which fought alongside American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
James Cartlidge, Conservative shadow defence secretary, stated: “Britain and France supported the US, sending thousands of personnel to Afghanistan, including family members and parliamentary colleagues. It’s deeply disrespectful to ignore such service and sacrifice.”
Vance later claimed it was “absurdly dishonest” to suggest he was referring to the UK or France, despite these countries being at the forefront of efforts for a non-US peacekeeping force.
Starmer’s spokesperson didn’t directly address Vance’s comments but stressed UK forces’ recent involvement fighting alongside US troops.
“The prime minister, and the entire nation, is in full admiration for British troops who have served, many losing their lives and fighting alongside allies, including the US. Their courage and bravery have ensured global security. Our focus is on how we protect our national interests through ongoing discussions for a lasting peace in Ukraine,” the spokesperson affirmed.
The spokesperson added the prime minister had two prior conversations with Trump during the weekend and another with the US president on Monday night.
Johnny Mercer, Conservative former armed forces minister, described Vance as a “clown” criticizing Vance’s lack of military service and advising him to understand the sacrifices of veterans better.
Ben Obese-Jecty, Conservative MP and former army officer, pointed out that Vance’s book admits he avoided real combat during his Marine service. Obese-Jecty criticized Vance for showing disrespect to the sacrifices of service personnel.
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p class=”dcr-s3ycb2″>The Liberal Democrats demanded that UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, seek an apology from Vance. Defence spokesperson Helen Maguire, a Royal Military Police veteran of Iraq, criticized Vance’s remarks as a “sinister attempt to deny the reality of the sacrifices made by soldiers from both nations”.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/04/uk-mps-condemn-deeply-disrespectful-jd-vance-comments
