Trump climbs down over slur on UK soldiers in Afghanistan after backlash [View all]
Source: The Independent
Saturday 24 January 2026 14:28 EST
Donald Trump has climbed down over his slurs against British soldiers in Afghanistan after sparking widespread outrage for his false claims made about Nato allies. The US president has now paid tribute to “the great and very brave soldiers of the United Kingdom”, after previously claiming Nato allies stayed away from the front lines during the war in Afghanistan.
Sir Keir Starmer raised Mr Trump’s comments directly with the US president during a phone call on Saturday afternoon, Downing Street confirmed.
The prime minister had joined Prince Harry, veterans and politicians from across the political spectrum in condemning Mr Trump’s false claims, with Sir Keir calling them “appalling” and demanding an apology. Critics have pointed to both the number of non-US coalition deaths in Afghanistan and Mr Trump’s own avoidance of military service in Vietnam.
The US president this week also suggested he is not sure that the US’s Nato allies would “be there if we ever needed them”, and he claimed that America had “never needed” its Nato partners, despite being the only member state to have ever invoked the alliance’s “all for one, and one for all” clause, in the wake of 9/11.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/politics/donald-trump-uk-troops-afghanistan-war-starmer-b2907036.html
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