DONALD Trump’s right-hand man has sparked outrage after branding the UK “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.
US vice president JD Vance came under fire after appearing to dismiss Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq and other wars in recent years.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump’s second-in-command said that the “very best” security guarantee for Ukraine was allowing America to cash in on its natural resources, per a deal on the table between the two countries.
Pouring scorn on Keir Starmer's ambitions to have British troops police any peace deal, Vance said: “The president knows that, look, 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 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.”
He added that Ukraine must “rebuild the country and ensure that America has a long-term interest”.
Hope is not a strategy to bring peace to Ukraine. The only person in town who seems to have a strategy is President Donald J. Trump. pic.twitter.com/Tuitz2ZJ8R
— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 4, 2025
His comments were met with dismay, with former armed forces minister James Heappey sharing a clip of the interview and saying: “Sad to hear the relationship reduced to this.”
Former New Labour aide John McTernan added: “An insult to every single member of the UK armed forces who died or were wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Vance served in the US Marines for four years and served one tour in Iraq in 2005 as a military journalist.
His comments came after the Trump administration announced it was pausing all military aid to Ukraine, in what secretary of state Marco Rubio has said is a bid bring Russia “to a negotiating table”.
Vance claimed in the Fox News interview that Joe Biden’s approach to Ukraine had been to “send them weapons for as long as we can and hope eventually they can turn the tide”.
