Trump claim on NATO role in Afghanistan draws UK condemnation. To counter anti-NATO remark’s, UK politicians have accused Trump of avoiding military service during the Vietnam War.
Trump said the US had “never needed” NATO and claimed allied forces remained “a little off the front lines” during the Afghanistan conflict.
Stephen Kinnock, a junior British minister, described Trump’s remarks as “deeply disappointing” and said European forces had paid a heavy price while backing US-led operations.
“Many, many British soldiers and many soldiers from other European NATO allies gave their lives in support of American-led missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. I think anybody who seeks to criticise what our armed forces have done and the sacrifices that they make is plainly wrong.
US remains the only NATO member to have invoked Article 5, the alliance’s collective-defence clause, following the September 11, 2001 attacks, prompting allies to rally behind US armed forces.
Other UK politicians even highlighted Trump’s history of avoiding military service during the Vietnam War. Trump received multiple draft deferments, including one based on a diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels, a medical claim that has previously been questioned.
“Trump avoided military service 5 times. How dare he question their sacrifice.” - Ed Davey
The United Kingdom lost 457 service personnel in Afghanistan. More than 150 Canadian soldiers were killed, along with 90 French soldiers. Denmark lost 44 soldiers - one of the highest per-capita death rates among NATO members, despite the country recently facing continued pressure from Trump to sell its semi-autonomous territory of Greenland to the US.
