"JD Dunce." Those were some of the headlines published by Britain's tabloid newspapers Wednesday after U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that an American economic deal in Ukraine was a "better security guarantee" for a potential peace deal with Russia "than 20,

The vice president denied that he was talking about Britain and France when he downplayed “20,000 troops from some random country” protecting Ukraine. No other countries have pledged troops.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance's "random country" remark about NATO allies sending troops to Ukraine has ignited fierce backlash in Britain and France. Politicians, veterans, and media figures have condemned the comment as disrespectful to those who fought alongside U.

The breakdown in U.S.-Ukraine ties has given new urgency to the two European nuclear powers' efforts to pull together ideas for a peace plan that would initially outline a short truce but also eventually include broader security guarantees. Britain and France have both said the U.S. would be needed for future assurances.

France's defence minister said intelligence it provided to Ukraine was unaffected by the U.S. suspension of intelligence sharing with Kyiv, but warned that Washington's halt in military aid would harm Ukraine's operations against Russia's invasion.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Thursday that France is sharing intelligence with Ukraine, a move that followed the United States saying it was cutting off intellig