Europe Asia News

In an interview with Fox News, the US president reiterated his view that NATO would not support the United States if asked.

His remarks drew condemnation from across the political spectrum; critics pointed to the deaths of 457 British soldiers in Afghanistan and to Trump’s avoidance of military service in Vietnam.

Over the 20-year conflict, a total of 3,486 NATO soldiers were killed, including 2,461 US service members. In Canada, including civilians, there were 165 deaths.

Denmark, in constant tension with the United States over Trump’s Greenland plans, suffered 44 combat losses in Afghanistan, giving it the highest per-capita loss rate outside the US.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said:

“We never needed them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, but they stayed a little back, a little away from the front lines.”

Labour MP and former RAF officer who served in Afghanistan alongside US special operations forces, Calvin Bailey, said Trump’s claim “bears no resemblance whatsoever to the reality experienced by those of us who served there.”

Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served as a captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan, said it was “sad to see the sacrifice of our nation and our NATO partners treated so cheaply by the US president.”

House of Commons Defence Committee chair Tan Dhesi said the US president’s comments were “horrifying and an insult to our brave British servicemen and women who risked their lives and limbs to help our allies, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Foreign Affairs Committee chair Emily Thornberry described the remarks as “far more than a mistake” and “an insult” to the families of the fallen.

Trump has previously been criticised for avoiding conscription to fight in Vietnam after being diagnosed with a highly questionable case of bone spurs in his heels.