Summary
- JD Vance met UK Foreign Secretary Lammy Friday.
- Discussed the Gaza crisis; shared common goals, different views.
- The US won't recognize Palestinian state, Vance said.
- Prioritized stopping Hamas, addressing Gaza’s humanitarian issues.
- Vance warned the UK about protecting free speech.
Before starting their work, Lammy and Vance went fishing in a carp pond at his rural hideaway in Chevening, Kent, which is southeast of London.
As the discussion began at the 17th-century palace, Vance informed reporters that the United States had "no plans" to follow Britain and recognize a Palestinian state.
"I don't know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state, given the lack of functional government there,"
Vance said.
He went on to say that he anticipated that President Donald Trump would "talk at some point to the media about his response" to Israel's proposal to "take military control" of Gaza, which is a Palestinian territory.
"Our goals are very clear. We want to make it so that Hamas can't attack innocent people. We want to solve humanitarian problems in Gaza,"
Vance said.
As the US president attempts to put an end to the conflict that has lasted more than three years, the two men also talked about the war in Ukraine in advance of a potential summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
Despite their divergent political ideologies, Lammy of the center-left Labour party and Vance, a Republican, have forged a close bond over their common Christian faith and challenging upbringings.
In March, Lammy reportedly went to mass at the vice president's home in Washington.
Vance said Lammy had become a "good friend" but teased that his three young children were better at fishing than Britain's top diplomat.
"Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the foreign secretary did not,"
he joked.
Britain's foreign ministry said Vance will remain at Chevening for the duration of the weekend.
According to UK media, his family will next spend some time in western England's Cotswolds.
Additionally, according to reports, Vance will travel to Scotland, where Trump visited his golf clubs for five days last month.
He met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and signed a trade agreement with Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union.
What are the main points discussed between Lammy and Vance on Gaza's crisis?
Both officials agree on the ultimate goal of resolving the Gaza crisis and ending the conflict but have some disagreements on the methods to achieve this outcome.
The UK plans to recognize a Palestinian state as a way to pressure Israel, while the U.S., represented by Vance, has no intention of recognizing Palestine due to the absence of a functional government there.
Vance emphasized that the U.S. priority is to ensure Hamas cannot attack Israeli civilians again, alongside addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Both countries share a focus on resolving the humanitarian disaster, although the approaches differ.