Furious veterans have hit back at JD Vance after he called the UK “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.

The US vice-president said: “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.

“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.”

His comments quickly drew fierce backlash as people pointed out that British soldiers were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan following the 9/11 terror attacks.

Helen Maguire, Liberal Democrat MP and former captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq, accused the VP of erasing history.

She said: “JD Vance is erasing from history the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I saw firsthand how American and British soldiers fought bravely together shoulder to shoulder. Six of my own regiment, the Royal Military Police, didn’t return home from Iraq. This is a sinister attempt to deny that reality.”

Johnny Mercer, Tory politician who served as a commando in Afghanistan, added: “Vance needs to wind his neck in. Show a bit of respect and stop making yourself look so unpleasant.

“This clown needs to check his privilege. I read his book making the mistake of finding him quite interesting. By his own admission he spent his time in the Marines ‘writing articles and taking pictures’.

“Perhaps if he had got his hands dirty serving his country like so many of his fellow American and British veterans, chasing his own country’s crazy foreign policy ideas, he might not be so quick to dismiss their sacrifice.”

Ben Obese-Jecty, Tory MP for Huntingdon who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, also pointed out that, in his 2016 memoir, Mr Vance said he was “lucky to escape any real fighting” while he was in the Marine Corps in Iraq.

He fumed: “British troops stood shoulder to shoulder with the US after Article 5 was invoked following 9/11. I served in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 during its most kinetic phase.

“In Sangin, I saw first-hand the sacrifices made by our soldiers; a quarter of the 457 British soldiers lost died there. Vice-President Vance served in Iraq writing articles and taking photos for the US Marines.

“He should be well aware of the sacrifices made by America’s allies in recent decades. To suggest Britain did not pay our share of blood and treasure does a disservice to the close relationship between our two militaries.”