JD Vance has spoken out after he attracted widespread criticism for his comments on a possible peacekeeping force in Ukraine where he spoke of 'a random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 years'.
The US Vice President was called out for speaking to Fox News about possible security guarantees for Ukraine, where he yesterday (3 March) claimed that if the invaded country wants to be safe from future Russian aggression it should give the US economic reasons to care.
He said: "The president knows that 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 is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine.
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“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.
"The security guarantee and also the economic guarantee for Ukraine is to rebuild the country and ensure that America has a long-term interest."
UK Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have both pledged to send thousands of peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees for the nation, so one might expect that when JD Vance spoke of 'some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years' he was referring to either the UK or France.
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However, Vance has rowed back to yesterday's comments and claimed on Twitter that it was 'absurdly dishonest' to suggest that his comments on a country that would send peacekeeping troops referred to either of the two countries that said they'd send peacekeeping troops.
He wrote: "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.
"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."
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Which country JD Vance was therefore referring to is unclear, as is the point he was trying to make if it's not directed at a particular country.
A spokesperson for Starmer praised the work done by British troops, often fighting alongside the US, adding: "Our focus, once again, is on how we protect our national interests and global security by progressing the discussions to secure a lasting peace for Ukraine."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is still 'ready to sign' a deal which would grant the US rights to valuable mineral resources in Ukraine.
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He said: "We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our cities and towns.
"We lose our people. We need to stop the war and to guarantee security."
The US today (4 March) paused military aid to Ukraine, saying that help for the country in the face of Russian aggression would be 'reviewed' in order to 'ensure that it is contributing to a solution'.
America's decision to halt aid for Ukraine was welcomed by Russia, with Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov telling the BBC: "If the US stops, or pauses these supplies, this will probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace."
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Russian attacks on Ukraine continue, as overnight they sent 99 drones targeting Odesa, Sumy and Donetsk, damaging power infrastructure and a children's medical facility.
Joe Harker