‘Random country’: Vance remark sparks outrage in UK

London: Having given Europe a two-fingered salute at Munich and baited Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, J.D. Vance has come back for a third helping. And even Nigel Farage, Britain’s right-wing populist figure and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was left incensed.

The US vice president has copped widespread criticism from across the Atlantic after saying any potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine would be from “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.

J.D. Vance’s comments underline the challenges facing Europe as they chart a path forward for Ukraine. Credit: AP

Vance made the comment on Fox News while arguing the best security guarantee Trump could provide for Ukraine was a minerals deal.

He was immediately accused of “disrespecting” British forces who served alongside the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, where more than 600 were killed in fighting between 2001 and 2014. A former British veterans minister branded him a “clown” who “needs to check his privilege”.

Britain and France are the only countries to have pledged troops to a potential peacekeeping force, however, Vance later said the suggestion he was referring to those two allies when he made the “random country” comment was “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 said in a post on X. “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.”

His comments underline the challenges facing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron as they try to persuade the Trump administration to back a European peace plan with US military cover.

Several British politicians from across the political divide interpreted Vance’s comment as a dig at the UK, which has led the idea of creating a “coalition of the willing” to provide boots on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

Helen Maguire, the Liberal Democrat defence spokeswoman, said Vance was erasing from history the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I saw first-hand how American and British soldiers fought bravely together shoulder to shoulder,” she said. “Six of my own regiment, the Royal Military Police, didn’t return home from Iraq. This is a sinister attempt to deny that reality.”

Farage, the Reform UK leader – who has closely aligned himself with the White House on the majority of issues – said Vance was “wrong, wrong, wrong”.

“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 all right, they may be six times bigger, but we did our bit. So, on this one, J.D. is wrong.”

Vance has been sharpening his teeth as Trump’s foreign policy pit bull, and Europe is in his sights. At last month’s Munich Security Conference, he threw down a blistering attack, singling out Europe – Germany, especially – for stifling free speech and sidelining parties daring to speak out on immigration. European leaders were left stunned by his blunt, combative tone.

Nigel Farage said J.D. Vance was wrong.Credit: Getty Images

Last Friday, he broke ranks, blasting Ukrainian President Zelensky during a tense Oval Office meeting with Trump that left allies in shock. The visit was supposed to kick off a deal to invest in Ukrainian minerals and pave the way for a ceasefire with Russia. Instead, Trump booted Zelensky from the White House and slashed US military aid.

Vance’s public comments have sown grave doubt that the US is likely to back an Anglo-French “reassurance force” in Ukraine, with Trump’s obsession over avoiding World War III making such a commitment a non-starter.

Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto called for the creation of a “European Defence Union” on Tuesday to reinforce the Continent’s security amid growing jitters about the Trump administration’s commitment to NATO.

“We are living in a dramatic geopolitical and historical moment,” Crosetto wrote in a social media post, as he called for “the construction of a common European defence”.

Vice President J.D. Vance (right) speaks to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as President Donald Trump listens.Credit: AP

Yet, Starmer insists no deal can succeed without American support. If the US wavers on this, Western unity – so far as it exists any more – will fracture entirely.

Moscow has no reason to negotiate as it gains the upper hand on the battlefield, leaving Europe to figure out how to fill the gap. Amid this, Starmer will struggle to maintain his public alignment with Washington. The pressure will mount as the situation becomes increasingly unsustainable.

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