Fury over Trump NATO slur: President’s claim UK and allied troops ‘stayed off the front line’ in Afghanistan ‘is an absolute insult’ and ‘disgraceful’
Donald Trump sparked outrage after claiming that UK and NATO troops were ‘little off the front lines’ during the war in Afghanistan.
The US President told Fox News on Thursday that he is ‘not confident’ that the NATO military alliance will be there for America ‘if we need it’.
‘We never needed them,’ he said, adding: ‘We never really asked them for anything.’ ‘They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,’ he said, ‘and they did, they stayed behind a little bit, they stayed out of the front line a little bit.’
He said the US had been ‘very good to Europe and many other countries’ and added: ‘This should be a two-way street.’
Following the comments, Labor MP Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs committee, described it as an ‘absolute insult’ to the 457 British service personnel killed in the conflict.
Speaking on the BBC’s Question Time programme, Dame Emily said: ‘How dare he say we are not on the front line, how dare he? ‘We’ve always been there when the Americans wanted us, we’ve always been there.’
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘How dare he question their sacrifice?’
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served in Afghanistan, said it was ‘sad to see the sacrifice of our nation and our NATO partners being made so cheaply’.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Donald Trump launched a fresh onslaught of insults against NATO troops, claiming European personnel were left ‘off the front lines’ in Afghanistan.
British marines hold rifles while on patrol at Bagram air base near Kabul December 19, 2001
Following the comments, Labor MP Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs committee, described it as an ‘absolute insult’ to the 457 British service personnel killed in the conflict.
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served as a captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan, said it was ‘sad to see the sacrifices of our nation and our NATO partners retained so cheaply by the US president’.
He said: ‘I saw first-hand the sacrifices made by the British soldiers I served with at Sangin, where we suffered terrible losses, as did the US Marines the following year.
‘I do not believe US military personnel share President Trump’s views; His words harm them as our closest military allies.’
Calvin Bailey, a Labor MP and former RAF officer who served with US special operations units in Afghanistan, intervened, saying Trump’s claim ‘bears no resemblance to the reality experienced by those of us serving there’.
America is the only NATO member to invoke the collective security provisions of NATO’s Article 5 (an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members).
This followed the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001, which led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
The United Kingdom was the country with the second highest number of military deaths in the conflict in Afghanistan, with 457 people. The USA, on the other hand, saw 2,461 deaths. America’s allies suffered 1,160 deaths during the conflict; this was about a third of total coalition deaths.
Adding to the backlash following the US leader’s remarks, Social Care Minister Stephen Kinnock also said Trump’s claim was ‘deeply disappointing’.
‘There’s no other way to say it, I really don’t know why you’re saying these things. “I don’t think there is any basis for him to make these comments,” he said. Sky News.
‘We will always stand for the values we hold dear: democracy, freedom, the freedom to push back against dictators and anyone who tries to undermine our values and way of life – and NATO is at the heart of this alliance.’
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Peace Board session held as part of the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026
NATO secretary general Mark Rutte gave Donald Trump a reality check, saying one NATO soldier died in Afghanistan for every two Americans after the US President cast doubt on the Western alliance.
Speaking in Davos yesterday, the US President made a similar move towards the 32-member military alliance and said: ‘I know them all very well. I’m not sure they’ll be there. I know we will be with them. ‘I don’t know if they’ll be there for us.’
After the speech, NATO chief Rutte corrected the record and said to the US President: ‘There is something I heard you say yesterday and today. You certainly weren’t sure that the Europeans would come to the rescue of the United States if you were attacked. Let me tell you, they will, and they did it in Afghanistan.’
Rutte’s rejection came after Trump called Denmark, which has the highest death rate per capita among coalition forces in Afghanistan, ‘ungrateful’ for US protection during World War II.
‘For every two Americans who paid the ultimate price, there was one soldier from another NATO country, from the Netherlands, from Denmark and especially from other countries, who did not return to his family,’ the NATO chief said.
‘So if the United States is attacked, you can be absolutely sure that your allies will be on your side. There is an absolute guarantee. “I really want to tell you this because it makes me sad if you think it is not so,” Rutte told Trump.
