U.S. President Donald Trump came under fire after claiming that NATO allies stayed “off the front lines” during the war in Afghanistan, with U.K. government and political leaders across the spectrum calling the remarks false, insulting and deeply offensive to the hundreds of British troops who died fighting alongside U.S. forces.
A spokesperson for the British government said Trump was “wrong” to suggest NATO allies avoided combat, noting that hundreds of British service members were killed and many more seriously wounded while serving alongside U.S. troops.
“Hundreds of British personnel died in Afghanistan, and many hundreds more suffered life-changing injuries,” the spokesperson said, adding that they fought “alongside the U.S. and our allies.”
Defense Secretary John Healey emphasized that NATO’s collective defense clause – Article 5 – has only been triggered once, following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., and said the alliance answered Washington’s call.
“More than 450 British personnel lost their lives in Afghanistan,” Healey wrote on the social media platform X. “Those British troops should be remembered for who they were: heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation.”
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns called Trump’s remarks “utterly ridiculous” and “a real shame,” saying Britain’s response to the Afghanistan war demonstrated unity across government and society. “Our agencies, our forces, our politicians – we all stood together shoulder to shoulder and responded,” he said in a video message.
Opposition leaders also condemned the comments. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch described them as “flat-out nonsense,” while Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey said Prime Minister Keir Starmer should demand an apology from Trump, according to the BBC.
Starmer later said Trump’s remarks were “insulting” and “appalling,” paying tribute to the 457 British troops killed and those left with lifelong injuries. “I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country,” Starmer said, adding that the comments had caused deep hurt to families and the wider public.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox Business Network in Davos, Switzerland, questioning whether NATO would support the U.S. if asked. “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that, and they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he said.
The comments sparked outrage across the U.K., cutting across party lines. Prince Harry, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and lost friends there, weighed in without naming Trump, saying the sacrifices of British troops “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect.”
“Thousands of lives were changed forever,” Harry said. “Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.”
Following the 9/11 attacks, then-Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged that Britain would “stand shoulder to shoulder” with the U.S. British forces played a major role in Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand province, until their withdrawal in 2014. More than 150,000 British troops served there, the largest contingent after the U.S., while American forces remained until their withdrawal in 2021.
Ben Obese-Jecty, a lawmaker who served in Afghanistan as a British Army captain, said it was “sad to see our nation’s sacrifice, and that of our NATO partners, held so cheaply by the president of the United States.”
Criticism intensified due to Trump’s own military record. Trump received a medical deferment during the Vietnam War due to bone spurs, a claim that has long drawn scrutiny. “It’s hugely ironic that someone who allegedly dodged the draft should make such a disgraceful statement,” said Stephen Stewart, author of The Accidental Soldier, who was embedded with British troops in Afghanistan.
The backlash extended beyond Britain. Former Danish platoon commander Martin Tamm Andersen said Trump’s comments ignored reality. Denmark lost 44 soldiers in Afghanistan – the highest per capita death toll among coalition partners – after NATO invoked Article 5. “When America needed us after 9/11, we were there,” Andersen said.
Trump’s remarks came amid heightened tensions with Europe, following his renewed pressure over Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory. He has threatened tariffs against European nations opposing his ambitions, raising questions about NATO’s future. While Trump later said talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had produced a framework on Arctic security, the comments have further strained trans-Atlantic relations.
