Trump praises U.K. troops as ‘brave warriors’ after widespread condemnation

US President Donald Trump praised “brave” British soldiers and called them warriors on Saturday, a day after his comments about NATO troops in Afghanistan were described as “insulting and appalling” by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Mr Trump caused widespread outrage in Britain and across Europe after saying European troops were staying away from the front lines in Afghanistan.

Britain lost 457 service personnel in Afghanistan, its deadliest overseas war since the 1950s. During many of the war’s most intense years, he led the allied campaign in Helmand, Afghanistan’s largest and most violent province, while also fighting in Iraq as the United States’ main battlefield ally.

“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be on the side of the United States!” Trump wrote at Truth Social. “There were 457 dead in Afghanistan, many seriously wounded, and they were among the best of all fighters. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken.”

Sun on Sunday The paper reported that ‌King Charles’ concern about Mr Trump’s initial remarks was conveyed to the President, who expressed his admiration for the monarch during his state visit to the UK last year. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the report.

Mr. Trump had also provoked an unusually strong reaction from Mr. Starmer, who has tended to avoid direct criticism of the president in public.

The British leadership’s office released a statement saying that the Prime Minister spoke with the President on Saturday about the issue.

“The Prime Minister trained brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought shoulder to shoulder in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home,” the statement said. “We should never forget their sacrifices,” he said.

Veterans in Britain and elsewhere are lining up to condemn the president’s comments on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” on Thursday, in which he said the United States “never needed” the transatlantic alliance and accused its allies of remaining “a little bit off the front lines” in Afghanistan.

Among them was King Charles’ younger son, Prince Harry, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. “These sacrifices deserve to be talked about honestly and respectfully,” he said in a statement.