Britain Outraged Over Vance’s “Some Random Country” Comments

US Vice President JD Vance has sparked a row among allies after commenting about a potential European/UK-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine. His initial words came in a Fox News interview Tuesday wherein he made the case that the only security guarantees from America would come in the form a Trump’s minerals deal, which has been stalled in the wake of Zelensky’s Friday Oval Office blow-up with President Trump.

Vance said: “The president knows that if you want real US 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.”

And that’s where the offending comments came: “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 laid out.

He is being accused by top British officials and UK media of “disrespecting” British forces who closely assisted the US regime change wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. One former UK veterans minister branded him a “clown” who needs to “check his privilege” – as quoted in Britain’s Sky News.

All of this came in response to the London summit involving some dozen European heads of state and top security officials hosted by Prime Minister Kier Starmer. No other countries pledged troops in that meeting except Britain, with the close support of France, which may sign on to this ‘alternative’ peace plan. Starmer talked up a permanent settlement, favoring Ukraine, backed by Western “boots and the ground and planes in the air.” The Kremlin has of course firmly rejected such a scenario.

The New York Times highlighted the growing outrage among British political leaders in the following:

Mr. Vance later insisted that his comments, in an interview on Monday night with the Fox News host Sean Hannity, did not refer to Britain or France, though he did not name any alternative countries.

Few in Britain were buying it, even on the right. “JD Vance is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong,” said Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-immigrant party, Reform U.K., and a longtime ally of President Trump. “We stood by America all through those 20 years putting in exactly the same contribution.”

When it comes to the 2003 Iraq invasion, the UK’s Tony Blair was considered one of the ‘architects’ leading the charge in Bush’s war which is now widely admitted to have been based on WMD and chemical weapons lies. Iraq then suffered a 20-year plus insurgency and Western/NATO occupation. Out of this also came the rise of ISIS and a pro-Shia regime which is still in power in Baghdad.

In a post on X, Vance responded to the controversy: “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.”

He further called the charges coming out of London “absolutely dishonest”…

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. https://t.co/hrkb5pTV8p

— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 4, 2025

A fresh Tuesday statement from Starmer’s office says “no one wanted peace more than Ukraine” amid accusations from Trump’s team that the Europeans are sabotaging Trump’s progress in direct engagement with Russia to reach a permanent ceasefire. 

Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, a former British Army officer who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, said: “The disrespect shown by the new US vice-president to the sacrifices of our service personnel is unacceptable.” –BBC

They are pointing to at least 150,000 British personnel having served in Afghanistan alone, over two decades, after which the broad pullout was accomplished in 2021 under the Biden administration’s lead.

At least one prominent UK politician, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, is downplaying Vance’s words, saying he did not call Britain a “random country”. She said: “A lot of people are getting carried away. They’re saying loads of things and getting quite animated. Let’s keep cool heads.”

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And now the typical ‘everyone I don’t like is a Russian asset!’ rhetoric…

We have to consider the possibility that President Trump is a Russian asset.

If so, Trump’s acquisition is the crowning achievement of Putin’s FSB career – and Europe is on its own,

— Graham Stuart MP (@grahamstuart) March 4, 2025