U.S. president climbs down after remarks on allied troops in Afghanistan provoked strong pushback from NATO allies.
U.S. President Donald Trump said British troops “were among the greatest of all warriors” in the Afghan war, a day after U.K. officials vented outrage at him saying NATO allied troops stayed “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan.
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!” Trump said in a post on his social media Saturday evening. “It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!).”
Trump’s latest comments came after NATO allies pushed back strongly against his earlier remarks, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling the characterization of U.K. troops in Afghanistan “insulting and frankly appalling.”
Starmer spoke on the phone with Trump on Saturday to discuss “the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan,” according to a statement from Downing Street. The leaders also talked about the importance of the U.K.-U.S. relationship, as well as the need for a ceasefire to be reached in Ukraine.
The leaders also discussed “the need for bolstered security in the Arctic.”
The past week has seen increased tensions between the U.S. and its NATO allies, as Trump threatened some American partners with tariffs over Greenland. The threat was ultimately walked back once an agreement granting the U.S. access to the island was reached.