Tehran-IRAF- Remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the role of NATO forces in the Afghanistan war have sparked widespread reactions among political figures and former military personnel across Europe.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized Trump’s statements suggesting that non‑U.S. NATO forces stayed away from the front lines during the Afghanistan war, describing the remarks as insulting and shameful.
Commemorating the 457 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan, Starmer said: “I will never forget their courage and sacrifice. Trump’s remarks are insulting and shameful, and it is natural that they have hurt grieving families and the entire nation.”
Prince Harry, who himself served two tours in Afghanistan, also said that the sacrifices of soldiers deserve honest and respectful remembrance.
Ben Obese‑Jecty, a lawmaker and Afghanistan war veteran, described Trump’s remarks as a belittling of allied sacrifices.
Steven Stewart, a writer and embedded narrator who accompanied British forces in Afghanistan, said: “It is bitter irony that someone who himself avoided war would utter such inappropriate remarks.”
This comes as Trump has recently been criticized from NATO after threatening to impose tariffs on European countries if they oppose the annexation of Greenland.
Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that NATO was not present on the front lines during the Afghanistan war.
Trump claimed that NATO forces kept their distance from the front lines during the Afghanistan conflict—an assertion that critics say is a clear distortion of history.
Trump also reiterated his earlier remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, stating that Western allies would “not stand by us” if the United States were in need.
