Keir Starmer Says He Is “Full Of Admiration” For British Troops After JD Vance Remarks
Keir Starmer is "full of admiration" for British troops
3 min read
Keir Starmer is "full of admiration for all British troops" who have served their country, the Prime Minister's spokesperson has said.
The vice president of the United States JD Vance has faced a backlash after he said an economic deal between the US and Ukraine would be a "way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years". The comments have been widely perceived to be derogatory about Britain's military capabilities.
Asked about the vice president's comments this morning, the Prime Minister's spokesperson said that British troops' "courage and bravery has helped to ensure global security".
"The Prime Minister - and I think the whole country - is full of admiration for all British troops who have served for instance in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom have lost their lives in the process and fought obviously alongside allies including the United States," the Prime Minister's spokesperson told reporters this morning.
"It's very clear that their courage and bravery have helped to ensure global security, defend our values, defend our national interests so our focus once again is on how we protect our national interests and global security by progressing discussions to secure lasting peace for Ukraine."
Vance's comments came after Starmer said on Sunday that the UK was willing to put "boots on the ground and planes in the air" to defend any future Ukraine peace deal.
Responding to Vance’s comments, shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said: “NATO Article 5 has been invoked once - on 12/9/01 by the USA, after 9/11. Britain and France came to their aid, deploying thousands of personnel to Afghanistan, including numerous parliamentary colleagues, past and present. It’s deeply disrespectful to ignore such service & sacrifice.”
Jonny Mercer, the former minister for Veterans' Affairs, also hit out at Vance, saying: "this clown needs to check his privilege".
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine, sparking concerns about the direction of the conflict.
The White House said the suspension would remain in place until Trump saw that Ukraine was committed to securing peace.
Starmer spoke to Trump last night, but it is understood that the call was before reports that the US planned to pause aid for Ukraine.
The Prime Minister’s spokesperson refused to be drawn on reports that the Trump administration was planning to suspend aid to Ukraine, telling reporters the government would want to see details of a formal announcement before commenting.
They added that "things are moving at pace" and "discussions were happening every day" in terms of "progressing towards the outcome we all want to see in relation to a general peace in Ukraine".
The spokesperson said these discussions were happening "at all levels" with both the US and other allies and they are "all on the same page in relation to what we want to achieve, which is secure and durable peace".
Some 60 per cent of aid to Ukraine last year came from non-US NATO allies, they added.
The move from the White House comes after the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and the US president clashed during a meeting in Washington DC last week over the future of peace negotiations.
Zelensky was asked to leave the White House and a proposed minerals deal expected to play a key part in a peace deal with Russia was left unsigned.
The Prime Minister hosted a European defence summit on Sunday and later announced that a "coalition of the willing" including the UK would be ready to defend Ukraine militarily in the event of a peace deal.
He told the House of Commons on Monday that it was “totally unserious” to suggest that the UK must choose between siding with Europe or the United States in its approach to the war in Ukraine, describing the US as an "indispensable" ally.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
