President Trump has added fresh fuel to the fire amid historic inter-NATO tensions as the Greenland issue is front and center. The US leader told Fox News on Thursday the United States had ultimately “never needed” the NATO alliance and accused allies of staying “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan.
“I’ve always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? That’s really the ultimate test. I’m not sure of that,” Trump said in the interview, a clip of which can be watched below. “We’ve never needed them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, off the front lines.”
Trump on NATO: “I’ve always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? That’s really the ultimate test. I’m not sure of that. We’ve never needed them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, off the front… pic.twitter.com/fA0i1S3LxY
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 22, 2026
Trump’s words have gone viral across Europe, triggering an avalanche of angry denunciations, with various leaders – including military generals – demanding an apology.
One of the fiercest reactions is coming from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, given that 457 members of the British armed forces died in Afghanistan over the course of the 20+ year-long war and occupation.
Starmer denounced the remarks as “insulting and frankly appalling” and suggested the US president should apologize.
He said he will never forget the sacrifice and bravery of British soldiers who fought for the US-NATO coalition in Afghanistan, and added he is “not surprised” Trump’s words “have caused such hurt”. Downing Street has also slammed the remarks as “wrong”.
The BBC and other UK outlets have been giving live coverage to British and European leaders’ reactions, and even interviewing family members of fallen soldiers. The outlet has reminded its audience that even Canada suffered significant troop losses:
Following the terror attacks of 11 September 2001, the US invoked Nato’s Article 5 – which treats an attack on one member as an attack against them all – and launched military action in Afghanistan.
A total of 51 countries – both Nato and non-Nato , external- took part in the conflict that followed.
Among Nato nations that fought in Afghanistan, 24 suffered casualties according to iCasualities, external, a website that has tracked deaths in the war from 2001 to 2021, when the troops withdrew.
Over this period, the US suffered the highest number of deaths overall – 2,465 – followed by the UK with 457, external and Canada with 158.
Prince Harry from the British Royal Family even served a tour in Afghanistan. People of various nationalities have in response been posting old war footage on social media, showing NATO troops actively fighting on the front lines. As examples…
Trump: “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this and that. And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines”.
Danish soldiers, Helmand Province, 2009: pic.twitter.com/wpAEeRm3VZ
— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) January 22, 2026
🇬🇧 Here is a member of the British SAS Special Forces wearing just a Baseball Cap and a T-shirt whilst he “Stayed a little back, off the front lines” fighting the Taliban alongside the United States Marine. pic.twitter.com/zePwOaotML
— Bricktop_NAFO (@Bricktop_NAFO) January 23, 2026
Despite all the collective sacrifice, the Taliban today remains in firm control of Kabul and the central Asian country, following the big – and controversial – full American and allied withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
As for this Trump-Starmer tiff, one lesson that can be gleaned from a European perspective is that countries should be more cautious and skeptical in terms of blindly following Washington’s lead in its foreign wars and adventurism overseas. The Pax Americana tends to have a short memory, and so won’t necessarily be ‘thankful’ of allied sacrifices. The US as a ‘global police force’ (a trend especially of the GWOT era) uses, chews up, and spits out who it wants. That’s the cynical read anyway, somewhat confirmed in Trump’s latest remarks.
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