UK politicians have accused Trump of avoiding military service during the Vietnam War.
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Published On 23 Jan 2026
United States President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from British politicians after claiming that NATO forces stayed away from the front line during the war in Afghanistan.
The US president made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, a US broadcaster, where he again questioned the value of the military alliance and suggested that NATO allies would not come to Washington’s aid if requested.
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Speaking on Thursday, Trump said the US had “never needed” NATO and claimed allied forces remained “a little off the front lines” during the Afghanistan conflict.
The comments prompted a backlash across the UK political spectrum, with critics pointing to the scale of NATO casualties during the 20-year war and raising questions about Trump’s own military record.
Allies’ losses
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.
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,” Kinnock told the UK’s Sky News broadcaster on Friday.
“I think anybody who seeks to criticise what [our armed forces] have done and the sacrifices that they make is plainly wrong,” he added.
‘How dare he’
Kinnock also noted that the 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 Washington.
He said NATO was the most successful international security alliance “in the history of the world”, with the US and its European partners, including the UK, playing a central role.
Other UK politicians 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,” Ed Davey, leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrats, wrote on X. “How dare he question their sacrifice.”
