President Donald Trump’s assertion that non-U.S. NATO troops “stayed a little back” from the front lines in Afghanistan and may not support the United States if called upon has provoked sharp rebukes in the United Kingdom, where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the comments “insulting” and “frankly appalling.” Trump made the remarks Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, during an interview with Fox Business Network.
The controversy escalates trans-Atlantic tensions as Trump intensifies threats against NATO members—including demands to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory. The clash echoes NATO’s founding pledge: Article 5 of the mutual-defense treaty has been invoked only once in the alliance’s 75-year history, after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Trump’s Comments
Trump made his comments Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, during an interview with Fox Business Network. Speaking of non-U.S. NATO troops who served in Afghanistan, Trump said: “You know, 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 expressed doubt about NATO’s reliability, saying: “We’ve never needed them, we have never really asked anything of them.” He added that he wasn’t sure the other 31 NATO member nations would support the United States if called upon.
The Record of NATO Sacrifice
Starmer paid tribute to the 457 British personnel who died in Afghanistan and to those left with lifelong injuries.
“I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country,” Starmer said. “I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and, in fact, across the country.”
The reaction across the United Kingdom cut across political lines. Starmer signaled that an apology was warranted: “What I say to Diane is, if I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologize and I’d apologize to her,” referring to Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson suffered horrific injuries when a British Army Land Rover hit a mine in Afghanistan in 2006.
Trump’s comments contradict the historical record. In October 2001, nearly a month after the September 11 attacks, the U.S. led an international coalition in Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaida and its Taliban hosts. After 9/11, British Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged that the U.K. would “stand shoulder to shoulder” with the United States.
Britain played a central role. More than 150,000 British troops served in Afghanistan in the years after the invasion—the largest NATO contingent after the United States. British forces took a key role in operations in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, particularly in the early and middle phases of the war. They withdrew from combat operations in 2014 but remained in a support role alongside the U.S. military until the chaotic 2021 withdrawal when the Taliban returned to power.
International Condemnation
Prince Harry, who undertook two tours of duty in Afghanistan in the British Army and lost friends there, weighed in on the controversy.
“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.”
He called for truthfulness: “The sacrifices of British soldiers during the war deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect.”
Ben Obese-Jecty, a lawmaker who served in Afghanistan as a captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, said: “It is sad to see our nation’s sacrifice, and that of our NATO partners, held so cheaply by the president of the United States.”
Denmark, another major NATO contributor, also rejected Trump’s characterization. The country lost 44 soldiers in Afghanistan—the highest per-capita death toll among coalition forces. Former Danish platoon commander Martin Tamm Andersen said: “When America needed us after 9/11 we were there.”
Trump’s comments were not the first time in recent days he had downplayed NATO’s commitment. His criticism escalated this week as he intensified threats to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark, and threatened tariffs on European nations opposed to the move. The stakes of NATO’s commitment became apparent after the September 11 attacks. Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty—the alliance’s mutual-defense clause—has been invoked only once in its 75-year history: after the attacks on the United States, when all NATO members committed to support the American response.
Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and said they formed the “framework” for a deal over Arctic security. His latest remarks, however, are unlikely to improve trans-Atlantic relations already strained by his Greenland threats.
Trump’s Military History
Anger over Trump’s comments was further fueled by his own military history. Trump received a military deferment that allowed him to not serve in Vietnam because of bone spurs. He has been unable to remember in which foot the spurs were located, leading to accusations of draft dodging.
Stephen Stewart, author of “The Accidental Soldier,” an account of his time embedded with British troops in Afghanistan, said: “It’s hugely ironic that someone who allegedly dodged the draft for the Vietnam War should make such a disgraceful statement.”
Dernie, whose son endured horrific injuries in Afghanistan, called on the British government to respond firmly: “Call him out. Make a stand for those who fought for this country and for our flag, because it’s just beyond belief.”