According to The Guardian, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made "unprecedented condemnation" of Donald Trump, following the US President's claim that America's allies—including the UK—were away from the front lines of the Afghanistan war.
The newspaper cited the prime minister as saying that he found these remarks "insulting and frankly shocking."
Comments made during an interview with the American Fox News Channel around January 23, 2026. He claimed that NATO allies in the Afghanistan war "would say they sent troops," but "their position was slightly behind and somewhat out of the frontline," and further stated that the United States "never needed" NATO. This statement quickly provoked a strong reaction from NATO allies such as the UK.
The UK expressed anger and condemnation, believing that the remarks belittled the contributions and sacrifices of allied forces such as the British military in the Afghanistan war. UK Prime Minister Starmer called Trump's comments "insulting and shocking," and demanded an apology, emphasizing that the British and American forces "fought side by side." British politicians and veterans also refuted this, pointing out that the British military undertook high-risk combat missions in Afghanistan, with casualties second only to those of the US military. Trump's statements were completely inconsistent with the reality experienced by those who were there, and were seen as a serious insult to the soldiers who died and their families.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855152780987392/
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