U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prince Harry are among several international figures criticizing President Donald Trump after he downplayed the role NATO allies played during the war in Afghanistan.
Prince Harry Defends Allied Sacrifice
Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan as a British Army captain, issued a strong rebuke following Trump’s remarks. He emphasized that NATO invoked Article 5 — its collective defense clause — for the first and only time after the Sept. 11 attacks, and that U.S. allies responded.
“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” Harry said, noting that 457 British service members were killed during the conflict. He added that thousands of families across allied nations continue to carry the cost of the war.
Harry said the sacrifices of NATO troops deserve to be discussed “truthfully and with respect.”
Trump Minimizes NATO Contributions
Trump’s comments came during a Fox News interview in Davos, Switzerland, amid renewed tensions with NATO over his push to acquire Greenland. In the interview, Trump claimed the U.S. did not need its allies in Afghanistan.
“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and they did,” Trump said. “They stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
The White House defended the president’s remarks, with spokeswoman Taylor Rogers stating that the U.S. has contributed more to NATO than all other alliance members combined.
Casualties Across the Alliance
More than 3,500 NATO troops were killed during the Afghanistan war, according to data compiled by icasualties.org. While nearly 2,500 of those deaths were U.S. troops, several allies suffered significant losses relative to their population size.
Britain lost 457 troops, Denmark lost 44, and Poland also reported 44 fatalities during the conflict.
Starmer Calls Comments ‘Appalling’
Prime Minister Starmer described Trump’s remarks as “insulting and frankly, appalling,” saying they caused pain to the families of those killed or injured.
“I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice that they made for their country,” Starmer said while honoring British service members.
Poland, Others Push Back
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also criticized Trump, recalling a 2011 farewell ceremony for fallen Polish soldiers in Afghanistan. Tusk said American officers at the time vowed Poland’s sacrifices would not be forgotten.
Trump has recently questioned whether NATO allies would defend the U.S. in a future conflict, despite their military support following the 9/11 attacks.
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