Starmer Condemns Trump’s NATO Remarks on Afghanistan as ‘Insulting and Appalling’

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sharply criticised Donald Trump after the US president claimed NATO allies stayed “a little back” from the front lines during the war in Afghanistan, calling the remarks “insulting and frankly appalling.”

Trump’s comments on the UK and NATO participation in the Afghanistan war have sparked outrage across the UK and among NATO allies, particularly veterans and families of soldiers who lost their lives during the two-decade-long conflict that followed the 9/11 attacks.

UK Leaders and Veterans React With Anger

Speaking to broadcasters, Keir Starmer paid tribute to the 457 British service personnel killed in Afghanistan and the thousands more injured. He said Trump’s Afghanistan remarks had caused deep hurt to families who made “the ultimate sacrifice” fighting alongside American forces.

“If I had misspoken in that way, I would certainly apologise,” Starmer said, adding that Britain and the US fought “shoulder to shoulder” in Afghanistan in defence of shared values and global security.

Veterans echoed the prime minister’s condemnation. Shawn VanDiver, a US Navy veteran who worked closely with allied forces, said Trump’s comments were “simply not true,” stressing that NATO troops fought “right alongside American forces” in some of the most dangerous regions.

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Former British bomb disposal officer Bob Seddon described the remarks as “callous,” recalling the “phenomenally dangerous” work carried out by British and Danish troops dealing with Taliban improvised explosive devices.

NATO Allies Defend Their Sacrifice

Reaction has not been limited to the UK. Poland’s defence minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, said the contribution of Polish troops “must never be diminished,” noting that more than 33,000 Polish personnel served in Afghanistan, with 44 deaths recorded.

Retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis, who served as NATO’s supreme allied commander, also pushed back strongly, saying hundreds of allied troops died under his command on Afghanistan’s front lines. “I honour their memory every single day,” he wrote.

BBC Verify data shows that while the US suffered the highest number of casualties overall, NATO allies such as the UK, Denmark, Canada, and Estonia endured some of the highest death rates relative to population size.

 

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White House Response Fuels Tensions

The White House has not directly retracted Trump’s Afghanistan remarks, instead reiterating the president’s long-standing position that the US contributes disproportionately to NATO’s defence spending. Critics argue this response amounts to doubling down, further straining transatlantic relations.

Trump’s comments have revived concerns about his scepticism toward NATO, despite the fact that the alliance’s Article 5—its collective defence clause- was invoked only once, following the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

A Painful Reminder for Families

For families of fallen soldiers, the remarks have reopened old wounds. Janette Binnie, whose son was killed in Helmand Province in 2009, described Trump’s Afghanistan comments as “soul-destroying,” saying they diminished the sacrifices made by allied troops.

As diplomatic tensions simmer, Starmer has stopped short of formally demanding an apology—but his words signal a rare and direct rebuke of a US president, underscoring the sensitivity surrounding NATO unity and the legacy of the Afghanistan war.