UK’s Starmer slams Trump over ‘insulting’ Afghanistan comments

Trump’s comments connected NATO allies improbable to creaseless relations arsenic tensions linger aft Greenland tariff threats.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested that Donald Trump should apologise for his claims that European troops were not connected the beforehand lines successful the warfare successful Afghanistan.

In a uncommon nonstop rebuke of the United States president, Starmer said connected Friday that Trump’s earlier comments to US broadcaster Fox News that NATO allies stayed “a small disconnected the beforehand lines” in Afghanistan were “insulting and frankly appalling”.

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Asked whether helium would request an apology from Trump, Starmer said, “If I had misspoken successful that mode oregon said those words, I would surely apologise.”

Trump’s comments came aft helium withdrew a menace to enforce tariffs connected respective European countries that opposed his demands that the US instrumentality implicit Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

Speaking connected the sidelines of the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Switzerland, Trump said connected Thursday that helium was not definite NATO would beryllium determination to enactment the US if and erstwhile requested, saying, “We’ve ne'er needed them, we person ne'er truly asked thing of them.”

In response, Starmer besides paid tribute to the 457 British unit who died aft joining the US-led penetration of Afghanistan successful 2001 that followed the September 11 attacks connected the United States.

More than 150,000 UK equipped forces unit served successful Afghanistan, making the state the second-largest contributor to the US-led conjugation that sought to destruct al-Qaeda and the equipped group’s Taliban hosts.

Alongside the US and UK forces were troops from dozens of countries, including from NATO, whose collective information clause, Article 5, had been triggered for the archetypal clip aft the attacks connected New York and Washington.

More than 150 Canadians were killed successful Afghanistan, on with 90 French work unit and scores from Germany, Italy and different countries.

Denmark, which remains nether unit from Trump implicit Greenland, mislaid 44 troops.

The US reportedly mislaid much than 2,400 soldiers.

‘Thousands of lives changed’

Trump’s comments provoked corporate outrage crossed Europe, wherever patience with the US president appeared to beryllium wearing bladed astatine the extremity of a week erstwhile his threats to annex Greenland reached a crescendo.

Transatlantic relations took a deed arsenic the US president threatened to slap tariffs connected European nations opposed to his ambitions to annex the territory, which raised questions implicit the aboriginal of NATO.

And though Trump appeared to backmost down aft a gathering with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, successful which they formed the “framework” for a woody implicit Arctic security, his comments astir NATO troops successful Afghanistan drew wide criticism.

On Friday, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel condemned Trump’s remarks, calling them untrue and disrespectful.

And Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said his state was “a reliable and proven ally, and thing volition alteration that”.

Later connected Friday, the United Kingdom’s Prince Harry weighed in, saying the “sacrifices” of British soldiers during the warfare “deserve to beryllium spoken astir truthfully and with respect”.

“Thousands of lives were changed forever,” said Harry, who undertook 2 tours of work successful Afghanistan successful the British Army.

“Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters,” helium said. “Children were near without a parent. Families are near carrying the cost.”