U.K.’s Keir Starmer and Prince Harry Launches Savage Attack on Trump’s NATO Lies
The royal’s response came after an interview in which the U.S. president denigrated the service of NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Prince Harry on Friday strongly responded to President Donald Trump’s offensive, inaccurate, and confusing claims that non-US NATO forces had provided only limited support in Afghanistan.
During an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, Trump implied that NATO countries would not support the United States if asked. The president asserted, “We never needed them. They’ll say they sent troops to Afghanistan… and that’s true, but they stayed a little bit back, away from the front lines.”
Trump received five deferments from his Vietnam War service, including one due to a diagnosis of a bone spur in his heel.
Prince Harry served on the front lines in two tours of duty in Afghanistan, one of which was cut short due to a media blackout. In a statement responding to Trump’s claims, he said: “In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in its history. This meant that every Allied nation was obligated to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our common security. And the Allies answered that call.”
Harry continued: “I served there. I forged lifelong friendships there. I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone lost 457 soldiers. These sacrifices deserve to be commemorated with honesty and respect, as we all remain united and committed to diplomacy and peace.”
Faced with widespread outrage in the UK (and within NATO), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s remarks “insulting and appalling.” He added: “I’m not surprised they caused such pain to the families of the dead and wounded, and to the entire country.”
Harry, who returned to California after a week in London, founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans who served in Afghanistan.
The United States’ main foreign ally, the United Kingdom, called on President Donald Trump to apologize for ignoring NATO’s role in Afghanistan, describing his remarks as “insulting and appalling.”
Following Donald Trump’s return to Washington after the World Economic Forum, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply criticized the president for downplaying the role of allied nations in supporting US forces during the years-long conflict.
International tensions escalated this week when Trump surprisingly claimed that the United States had never needed NATO’s help, seemingly forgetting how allies rallied to America’s aid after 9/11 and how many American soldiers died on the front lines in Afghanistan.
“Would they be there if we ever needed them?” asked Trump, who avoided military service by claiming he had bone spurs on his heels.
He added, “We never needed them… we never asked them for anything. You know, they’ll say they sent troops to Afghanistan, and that’s true—they stayed a little bit back, away from the front lines. But we were very generous to Europe and to many other countries.” “But Starmer responded angrily to the president, reminding him that 457 British soldiers had lost their lives in Afghanistan: ‘I will never forget their bravery, their courage, and the sacrifice they made for their country.’
He stated: ‘I therefore consider President Trump’s statement offensive and, frankly, outrageous.’
The families of the wounded soldiers shared this view, including Diane Derney, the mother of a former British paratrooper, who asserted that the British Prime Minister should demand an apology from his American counterpart.”
When asked about the possibility of demanding an apology from Trump, Starmer said, “I made my position clear, and what I’m saying to Diane is that if I misspoke or made those remarks, I would certainly apologize, and I would also apologize to her.”
Trump’s remarks on Fox Business, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Thursday, came the day after he softened his stance on the annexation of Greenland following a strong international reaction.
These remarks immediately sparked outrage, given that the United States is the only NATO member to invoke Article 5, the collective security clause, which stipulates that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
This led to NATO’s intervention in support of the United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, paving the way for continued participation in enhanced patrols in North America and, later, a major military intervention in Afghanistan.
During this war, NATO troops, including those from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, suffered more than 1,100 casualties fighting alongside the Americans. Denmark, which Trump forced to cede Greenland, has the highest rate of injuries per capita.
Ben McBean, a former Royal Marine, lost a leg to an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving in Afghanistan in 2008.
Outraged by Trump’s remarks, he posted a photo of his serious injuries on X.
“I’m trying to convince myself and my parents that I’ll be okay after fighting a little bit away from the front lines,” he wrote.
Starmer’s comments are particularly significant because the British Prime Minister is a key Trump ally and is often criticized by Britons for his reluctance to oppose the president.
But tensions between the two men have escalated this month due to the US claim to Greenland and Trump’s initial threat to use military force.
After calling Trump’s remarks appalling and insulting, Starmer was asked about any lingering resentment toward some of Trump’s statements.
He replied: “We maintain very close relations with the United States, which are essential to our security, defense, and intelligence services. It is absolutely crucial to preserve these relations.”
