UK’s Starmer slams Trump over ‘insulting’ Afghanistan comments

Trump’s comments on NATO allies unlikely to smooth relations as tensions linger after Greenland tariff threats.Published On 23 Jan 2026British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested that Donald Trump should apologise for his claims that European troops were not on the front lines in the war in Afghanistan.In a rare direct rebuke of the United States president, Starmer said on Friday that Trump’s earlier comments to US broadcaster Fox News that NATO allies stayed “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan were “insulting and frankly appalling”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Analyst breaks down map of Trump’s Gaza planlist 2 of 3US officially withdraws from the World Health Organizationlist 3 of 3Trump claim on NATO role in Afghanistan draws UK condemnationend of listAsked whether he would demand an apology from Trump, Starmer said, “If I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologise.”Trump’s comments came after he withdrew a threat to impose tariffs on several European countries that opposed his demands that the US take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said on Thursday that he was not sure NATO would be there to support the US if and when requested, saying, “We’ve never needed them, we have never really asked anything of them.”In response, Starmer also paid tribute to the 457 British personnel who died after joining the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 that followed the September 11 attacks on the United States.More than 150,000 UK armed forces personnel served in Afghanistan, making the country the second-largest contributor to the US-led coalition that sought to destroy al-Qaeda and the armed group’s Taliban hosts.Alongside the US and UK forces were troops from dozens of countries, including from NATO, whose collective security clause, Article 5, had been triggered for the first time after the attacks on New York and Washington.