Vance denies criticising UK, France over Ukraine peacekeeping proposal

The United Kingdom and France, both of which have previously supported US-led wars, have been the only countries that have come under fire for their criticism of a potential European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, according to Vice President JD Vance.

The economic pact with Kyiv, according to Vance, was discussed with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity on Monday night in a conversation that ran on air that night.

Vance responded to his remarks on X on Tuesday, saying that it was “absurdly dishonest” to suggest he had been referring to the UK and France.

As part of wider continental efforts to secure a deal between Moscow and Kyiv, only the UK and France are the only two nations to publicly commit to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

After his remarks sparked an angry response from politicians and veterans in both countries, who claimed he was dishonoring hundreds of troops killed fighting alongside US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, Vance posted on X, “I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the past 20 years, and beyond.”

He then continued to doubt the viability of what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had earlier referred to as “a coalition of the willing” to obstruct any ceasefire in Ukraine.

Let’s be clear: there are many nations that are offering their support (privately or publicly), but many of them lack the necessary military equipment and experience to accomplish anything.

Vance’s criticism comes after Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Oval Office last week to sign a minerals deal with Washington, sparking a dramatic row. Zellenskyy walked out of the White House without a signature.

Trump has since stopped providing military aid to Kyiv after being accused of sidelining both Kyiv and European allies as he seeks to negotiate directly with Vladimir Putin.

In France and the UK, Vance’s most recent broadside received mixed reviews.

The French and British soldiers who died in combat with terrorism, who fought alongside American soldiers, and sometimes received better treatment than the disdain of the vice president, according to French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party on X.

Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, claimed in the UK that the new US vice president’s disregard for the sacrifices of our service members was unacceptable.

In his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, Obese-Jecty cited Mr. Vance’s account of working as a journalist for the Marines in Iraq. He claimed he was “lucky to avoid any real fighting,” as the vice president had stated.