U.S. vice president mocks idea of “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 years” helping Ukraine, though after backlash denies he was referring to France or U.K.

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March 4, 2025 12:58 pm CET

By Noah Keate

U.S. Vice President JD Vance brushed aside a plan pitched by Britain and France to send in troops to Ukraine as post-war peacekeepers.

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Vance dismissed peacekeeping assistance from “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 years” — sparking immediate outrage from politicians in London, but prompting a follow-up comment from Vance denying that he had been referring to either Britain or France in his remarks.

Vance argued that Donald Trump’s proposed minerals deal with Ukraine would provide better security guarantees than the plans being hashed out in European capitals.

The U.K. and France are drawing up a plan with Ukraine to present to the U.S. that would include a peacekeeping force comprised of an as-yet-unspecified “coalition of the willing.”

At a summit of European leaders in London Sunday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer — a key player in pushing the plan alongside French President Emmanuel Macron — insisted “a number” of countries had signed up to the agreement. But Starmer stressed that it needs U.S. backing to deter further Russian aggression.

Vance — who has frequently criticized European leaders as poor defenders of free speech and publicly feuded with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week — brusquely dismissed the suggestion in his Fox interview.

Instead he talked up the as-yet-unsigned minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine which would see Kyiv pay 50 percent of the revenues from its state-owned natural resources into a fund that would invest in Ukraine. Trump has argued that having American workers in Ukraine would be enough to stop further encroachments by Russia.

The vice president 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.”

‘Cool heads’

The comments sparked a swift backlash in London, including from some figures in the U.S. Republicans’ sister party, the Conservatives. Vance said interpreting his comments as a dismissal of the U.K. or France was “absurdly dishonest.”

“I don’t even mention the U.K. or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond,” he said in a follow-up post on X.

“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.”

Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch backed that interpretation, telling GB News when pressed on whether Vance had been attacking the U.K.: “I’ve looked at the comments, I don’t think he actually said that.

“A lot of people are getting carried away. They’re saying loads of things and getting quite animated. Let’s keep cool heads.”

But some in London leapt to highlight how the U.K. fought alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and joined the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Conservative Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said it was “deeply disrespectful” of Vance “to ignore such service & sacrifice.”

Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson Helen Maguire, a former captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq, said Vance was “erasing from history” the British troops who gave their lives in the conflicts, adding his words were a “sinister attempt to deny that reality.”

Conservative former Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, an ex-soldier, said serving alongside American and French forces had been “defining moments of my military career,” and said in response to Vance’s comments that he was “sad to hear the relationship reduced to this.”

Even Nigel Farage, a key British ally of Trump who has backed his strategy in Ukraine, told GB News when pressed on the remarks: “JD Vance is wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.”

He added: “For 20 years in Afghanistan pro rata our size against America’s we spent the same amount of money, we put the same number of men and women in. We suffered the same losses.

“We stood by America all through those 20 years putting in exactly the same contribution. And alright, they may be six times bigger, but we did our bit. So, on this one JD is wrong.”

Across the channel, France’s Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu also pushed back at Vance’s characterization.

“I want to tell you that the greatest strength of an army is the courage of its soldiers. I would like to pay tribute to the memory of the more than 600 French soldiers who have died for France since the Algerian war, and who deserve our respect and the respect of our allies. We respect the veterans of all our allies; we expect our own veterans to be respected,” he said.

“Fortunately, the American vice-president corrected his remarks,” he added.

Starmer avoids commenting

Vance’s comments were aired after the U.S. halted all military aid to Ukraine, including equipment in transit. The move dramatically ups the ante ahead of a crucial European summit on support for Ukraine due Thursday.

The U.K. government has stood firm in its support for Kyiv, while being at pains to avoid criticizing Trump or his push to end the Ukraine war by negotiating with Russia.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Starmer said Tuesday: “The PM is full of admiration for British troops, many of whom have lost their lives and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside the United States.”

The prime minister told his cabinet Tuesday that peace in Ukraine “would need to be backed by strong security guarantees, including a ‘coalition of the willing’ of those ready to defend and guarantee the peace, with U.S. backing to deter [Russian President Vladimir] Putin from returning,” according to No.10 Downing Street.

This story has been updated with further reporting.

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