【Wen / Observers Network, Wang Kaiwen】U.S. President Trump once again angered his European allies with a "NATO army is useless" statement, causing a big commotion. After British Prime Minister Starmer "rarely" expressed anger, Trump seemed to make some concessions.

According to Reuters and other foreign media reports, on January 24th local time, Trump posted on his own social platform "Truth Social" (True Social), praising the bravery of British soldiers and emphasizing the friendship between the United States and Britain.

"Great and brave British soldiers will always be with the United States! In Afghanistan, 457 British soldiers died, many were seriously injured, they are the greatest warriors. This is an unbreakable bond, the British army has a strong heart and soul, unparalleled (except for the United States), we love you, forever unchanged," wrote Trump.

Earlier this week, Trump questioned the role of NATO during an interview with American Fox News.

"We have never needed them," Trump said, "we have never really asked anything from them. You know, they would say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or elsewhere, they did it, but a bit late, slightly away from the front line."

457 British soldiers died in the Afghan war, which was the most deadly overseas war for Britain since the 1950s.

Reuters said that Starmer usually avoids directly criticizing Trump in public, but Trump's remarks about NATO caused a "rare" strong reaction from Starmer.

"If I said those things wrong, I would definitely apologize," Starmer said on the 23rd.

Starmer's speech on the 23rd, requiring Trump to apologize, screenshot of video

The White House initially dismissed Starmer's comments. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers responded on the evening of the 23rd, saying, "President Trump's statements were completely correct. The U.S. contribution to NATO exceeds the total of all other countries in the alliance."

According to a statement released by the UK Prime Minister's Office, Starmer called Trump on the 24th regarding the issue.

The statement said, "The Prime Minister mentioned the brave and fearless British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never came home. We can never forget their sacrifices."

Starmer and Trump also discussed Ukraine and the Arctic issue. Starmer said that strengthening Arctic security is an absolute priority for his government. The two agreed to speak again soon.

During his second term as president, Trump repeatedly criticized NATO, often accusing its member states of insufficient defense spending.

In recent weeks, Trump threatened to "annex" Greenland, vowed to take military action and impose tariffs on traditional European allies, shaking up the transatlantic partnership. He also repeatedly hinted that NATO's Article 5 was a unilateral arrangement that was not favorable to the United States, angering allied countries that had supported the United States in the Afghan war.

According to The Guardian, Italian Prime Minister Meloni also joined the criticism of Trump. She posted on the social platform X on the 24th, stating that after the 9/11 incident, NATO launched the NATO Article 5 clause for the first and only time to support the United States, 53 Italian soldiers died in the Afghan war.

"For this reason, statements that downplay the contributions of NATO countries in Afghanistan are unacceptable, especially when these statements come from a certain ally," Meloni wrote.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7599095347075351090/

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