バンス米副大統領、英仏軍批判を否定

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】Ｊ・Ｄ・バンス米副大統領は４日、ウクライナへの欧州平和維持部隊派遣構想を支持する国々の軍事力を嘲笑した発言について、フランスと英国を標的としたものではないと釈明した。（写真は、米首都ワシントンで開催された第２０回全国カトリック祈祷朝食会で演説するＪ・Ｄ・バンス副大統領）
　欧州諸国は、ウクライナとロシアの最終的な和平合意締結を支援する方法を模索しており、英仏はウクライナに平和維持部隊を派遣する用意があると表明している。
　これに対しバンス氏は３日、ＦＯＸニュースのインタビューで欧州平和維持部隊派遣構想を、「３０～４０年も戦争をしていないそこら辺の適当な国が２万人」を派遣するとやゆした。
　この発言に対して英仏政界から猛反発が起きると、バンス氏はＸ（旧ツイッター）で、こうした反発は「あきれるほどにでたらめだ」と主張。
　「私はその（インタビュー）動画で、英国にもフランスにも言及さえしていない。両国は過去２０年以上にわたって米国と共に勇敢に戦っている」と述べた。
　一方で、ウクライナで停戦を監視する英仏「有志連合」構想に疑問を呈した。
　「（内密または公的に）支援を申し出ている国は数多くあるが、有意義なことをできるだけの実戦経験も軍備もない」と批判した。
　バンス氏はその後、米議会で記者団に欧州平和維持部隊構想が実際に解決策の一部となり得るかどうかを問われると、「英国とフランスが大きな役割を果たすことを申し出ている。これは非常に重要なのは明らかだ。われわれはこれを高く評価している」と回答。発言を後退させたようだ。
　英仏は２００１年９月１１日の米同時多発攻撃の後、アフガニスタンで米国側で戦った。英国は２００３年のイラク戦争でも米国率いる「有志連合」の一員として戦っている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/05-16:38）

US Vice President JD Vance insisted Tuesday he was not targeting France and Britain with remarks he made dismissing the military abilities of countries supporting a possible European peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
European nations are looking at ways to support an eventual peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, with Britain and France saying they would be willing to deploy ground troops.
Vance responded Monday in a Fox News interview by mocking the prospect of sending 20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years.
After his remarks drew an angry response from politicians in London and Paris, Vance posted on X that the pushback against his comments was 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, Vance said.
But he went on to question the underlying idea of an Anglo-French coalition of the willing to police any ceasefire in Ukraine.
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, he said.
Vance later appeared to further row back his comments when speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill.
Obviously -- and we appreciate this -- the British and the French have offered to step up in a big way, that's very, very important, Vance said when asked about whether European peacekeepers could realistically be part of the solution.
French and British troops both served alongside US soldiers in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks on the United States. British soldiers also joined the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Vance has positioned himself as President Donald Trump's foreign policy attack dog in recent days, particularly when it comes to Europe.
He stunned European leaders at the Munich Security Conference last month when he made a speech seen as a combative broadside against the continent and Germany in particular, accusing them of limiting free speech and excluding parties voicing strong concerns on immigration.
Vance then confronted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday during a visit to the White House on the free speech issue, before doubling down on the comments the next day.
And last Friday the vice president was the first to raise his voice against Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office that left allies reeling.
After Trump suspended US support for Kyiv against Russia, Zelensky said on Tuesday that the row was regrettable and that he wanted to make things right with the United States.
Trump, who has been accused of sidelining both Kyiv and European allies as he moves to negotiate directly with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, has so far refused to involve the United States in the peacekeeping operation suggested by France and the United Kingdom.