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JD Vance has been branded "deeply disrespectful" after rejecting UK military contributions amid a rapidly developing transatlantic dispute between the UK and the US over aid to Ukraine.
British politicians have demanded that the US vice president apologise after he rejected Sir Keir Starmer's offer to deploy a force of British and French troops to keep the peace in Ukraine if a deal is reached to end the war.
Speaking to Fox News, Vance said the offer amounted to "20,000 troops from a random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years."
Vance went on to criticize the prime minister's proposal for a "coalition of the willing" announced on Sunday to secure Ukraine and implement any peace agreement with Russia.
James Cartlidge called Vance's comments "deeply disrespectful." The United Kingdom and France have indicated a willingness to contribute ground troops, with Canada, Italy and Poland other potential participants.
However, Starmer has clarified that UK troops will not be deployed without security guarantees from the US.
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge responded sharply to Vance, pointing out that NATO's Article 5 has only been used once - by the US after the 9/11 attacks.
He wrote in X: "And Britain came to his aid by deploying 1,000 personnel to Afghanistan, including my brother and numerous parliamentary colleagues, past and present."
"It is deeply disrespectful to ignore such service and sacrifice," he said.
MPs from across the political spectrum also accused Vance of disregarding the hundreds of British troops who fought and died alongside US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Former veterans secretary Johnny Mercer wrote on X that "this clown [Vance] needs to check his position."
Helen Maguire MP, a former captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq, condemned Vance's remarks as an erasure of British military sacrifices.
"JD Vance is erasing from history hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan," she said.
She described Vance's comments as "a malicious attempt to deny that reality" before asking UK Ambassador Peter Mandelson to "call on Vance to apologise for these comments".
Vance criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for showing "a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process."
The vice president suggested that a minerals deal that gave the US economic stake in Ukraine would provide more effective protection than military support.
Hitting back at critics, Vance wrote on X in response to the criticism: "This is absurd and dishonest.
"I'm not even mentioning Great Britain or France, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years and beyond," the Vice President said.
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