Anger over JD Vance ‘random country’ peacekeeping remark | Global News Avenue

The U.S. vice president sparked his comments on potential peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.

British opposition politicians accused JD Vance of saying that the U.S. stake in the Ukrainian economy is “a better security guarantee than the 20,000 soldiers who have not had war from 30 or 40 years.”

Britain and France said they were willing to put their troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of the peace agreement.

Since then, Vance insists that he hasn’t even mentioned Britain or France, adding that both have fought side by side with the United States over the past 20 years and beyond.

However, he did not specify which country or country he was referring to.

“But let’s go straight: there are many countries that voluntarily (privately or publicly) supporting battlefield experience, and there is no military equipment to do anything meaningful,” Vance added in a social media post.

So far, only Britain and France have publicly committed the forces to any potential peace agreement in Ukraine, although Prime Minister Sir Kyle Stemmer had previously stated that the “quantity” had been agreed.

Last week, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky made an explosive explosion in the Oval Office last week, with the U.S. comments following U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

Zelensky left the White House and could then sign a proposed agreement to share Ukrainian minerals with U.S. companies.

Speaking of the proposal, Vance told Fox News: “The best security guarantee is the future economic upward space in Ukraine.

“It’s a better security guarantee than the 20,000 soldiers in a random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”

Sir Keir said that if a deal was reached to end the war, Vladimir Putin would need to invade Ukraine again.

But, so far, Trump has refused to guarantee this, instead contending that Ukraine’s American workers as part of the mineral deal can offer such a guarantee.

Earlier, Vance’s original comments attracted criticism from British opposition politicians.

Conservative Shadow Defense Secretary James Cartlidge noted that the British and French troops in the U.S. in Afghanistan had deployed their troops, adding: “It is very disrespectful to ignore such services and sacrifices.”

When asked about Vance’s comments later, conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the vice president did not call Britain a “random country”.

“A lot of people are being taken away. They are talking a lot of things and becoming very animated. Let’s keep our heads cool,” she said.

British reform leader Nigel Farage said Vance was “wrong, wrong, wrong”, adding that Britain had been “stand by the United States in the United States” in Afghanistan for 20 years.

Liberal Democratic Defense spokesman Helen Maguire, who was a former captain of the Royal Military Police and served in Iraq, urged British ambassador to the United States to call on Vance to apologize for the comments.

“JD Vance has removed hundreds of British troops from history who have lived in Iraq and Afghanistan,” she said.

“I have witnessed first-hand how American and British soldiers are brave enough to stand shoulder to shoulder.

“The disrespect shown by the new U.S. vice president who died in our service staff is unacceptable,” said conservative MP Ben Obese, a former British military official who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking after Vance announced his comments on social media, the obese told the BBC’s political live broadcast plan: “If he wasn’t talking about Britain and France, it would be hard to see who he was talking about.”

He called on the vice president to clarify which country he was referring to and apologize, adding that Vance caused “real crime.”

Downing Street declined comments on whether the Prime Minister found insulted or disrespectful, but he said he “are admired all British troops serving, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan”.

After the 9/11 attacks, Britain joined the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, and France also sent troops to the country.

Over 150,000 British personnel have served in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, with the last troops withdrawing in 2021.

Britain was also part of the US-led Iraqi invasion in March 2003, with British troops reaching a peak of 46,000 in the country.