Trump claim on NATO role in Afghanistan draws UK condemnation

UK politicians have accused Trump of avoiding military service during the Vietnam War.Published On 23 Jan 2026United States President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from British politicians after claiming that NATO forces stayed away from the front line during the war in Afghanistan.The US president made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, a US broadcaster, where he again questioned the value of the military alliance and suggested that NATO allies would not come to Washington’s aid if requested.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4At least 2 sailors dead after cargo ship sinks in disputed South China Sealist 2 of 4Alcaraz shines in 100th Grand Slam match as Sabalenka and Gauff stutterlist 3 of 4Tyrese Maxey’s clutch shots push 76ers past Rockets in OTlist 4 of 4Anxiety, anger, and hope in Syria’s Damascus after SDF ceasefireend of listSpeaking on Thursday, Trump said the US had “never needed” NATO and claimed allied forces remained “a little off the front lines” during the Afghanistan conflict.The comments prompted a backlash across the UK political spectrum, with critics pointing to the scale of NATO casualties during the 20-year war and raising questions about Trump’s own military record.Allies’ lossesThe United Kingdom lost 457 service personnel in Afghanistan. More than 150 Canadian soldiers were killed, along with 90 French soldiers. Denmark lost 44 soldiers – one of the highest per-capita death rates among NATO members – despite the country recently facing continued pressure from Trump to sell its semi-autonomous territory of Greenland to the US.Stephen Kinnock, a junior British minister, described Trump’s remarks as “deeply disappointing” and said European forces had paid a heavy price while backing US-led operations.“Many, many British soldiers and many soldiers from other European NATO allies gave their lives in support of American-led missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq,” Kinnock told the UK’s Sky News broadcaster on Friday.