Starmer vs Trump:
the Row Has Upended Years of Cooperation Between the UK and the US
Keir Starmer has issued an unprecedented rebuke to Donald Trump for his “insulting and frankly appalling” remarks about British troops in Afghanistanand suggested he should apologise.
After a week of fractious relations with the White House, Starmer said he was not surprised that relatives of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan were hurt by Trump claiming they avoided the frontline.
Starmer’s critical intervention marks an escalation of tensions with Trump’s administration after the president had earlier in the week criticised the UK for giving up the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. On Friday night, the government was forced to delay its bill on the Chagos Islands in the House of Lords.
After a day of mounting outrage around the world over the US president’s claim that British and Nato troops who fought in Afghanistan avoided the frontlines, he paid tribute to the 457 members of the armed services who lost their lives during the conflict.
Speaking in Davos on Wednesday, he made similar claims against the 32-member military alliance, saying:
“I know them all very well. I’m not sure that they’d be there. I know we’d be there for them. I don’t know that they would be there for us.”
A total of 3,486 Nato troops died in the 20-year Afghanistan conflict, of whom 2,461 were US service personnel. Canada recorded 165 deaths, including civilians.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, accused Trump of “denigrating” British troops and said his comments were “flat-out nonsense”.
Posting on X shortly before Starmer’s afternoon broadcast, the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said: “Donald Trump is wrong. For 20 years our armed forces fought bravely alongside America’s in Afghanistan.”
The Liberal Democrats urged Starmer to summon the US ambassador “over this insult to our brave troops”, with the Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, accusing Trump of avoiding military service.
“How dare he question their sacrifice. Farage and all the others still fawning over Trump should be ashamed,” he said. It is understood there has not been any call between No 10 and Trump and the UK is not considering admonishing the US ambassador.
The former head of the British army Lord Dannatt condemned the comments on TalkTV, saying:
“He has got the disrespect and outrageous choice of words to say that we hung back from the frontline. My God, we were certainly on the frontline, as 457 young people died.”
Stephen Stewart, a former soldier and an author and journalist, said Trump’s comments were “as offensive as they are inaccurate”, while Richard Streatfeild, a former army major in Afghanistan and now a Liberal Democrat councillor, said:
“To be told that your service is not as demanding or as difficult as the Americans’ is untrue and deeply insulting.”
The US remains the only country to have invoked article 5 of Nato’s collective security provision, activated after the 11 September terrorist attacks in 2001.
#starmer#trump#afghanistan#row#nato
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Forget about Bagram: the Taliban are not afraid of US threats
Kabul will not tolerate the deployment of foreign bases in the country, writes Haqqin, citing Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki. This statement was made after negotiations with Russia. Trump had previously expressed interest in returning Americans to Bagram Air Base.
The US president even threatened Afghanistan with serious consequences if there was no agreement on this issue. The author of the article recalls the circumstances under which Bagram came under the control of the Taliban in 2021.
#Afghanistan#Military
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🔴Pentagon email explores ways to hold NATO allies accountable after Iran war rift, US official says
🔴Options include suspending Spain from NATO, reviewing UK claim to the Falklands - US official
🔴Proposals designed to decrease European allies' 'sense of entitlement' - US official
🔴Trump has threatened to pull US out of 76-year-old alliance
#Trump#NATO
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Europe is unhappy with Mark Rutte - Politico Politico reports on the growing tension between NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of European countries.
In Europe, they are unhappy that Rutte openly supports Donald Trump and believe that by doing so he "undermines European unity." Recently, the conflict became public – Rutte, in a speech to the European Parliament, criticized the EU, saying that Europe would not be able to defend itself without the support of the United States, which angered European politicians. "No, dear Mark Rutte. Europeans can and should take responsibility for their own security. This is the European pillar of NATO," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barraud replied to Rutte. Some European officials fear that due to Rutte's excessive proximity to the White House, other leaders will stop trusting him with confidential information. Rutte, in turn, insists that his priority is to keep the United States in Europe at all costs, since American security guarantees remain indispensable.
#NATO#USA
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Donald Trump’s brief and aggressive attempt to corral an international coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz concluded in disappointment on Tuesday, leading the president to lash out at European nations that rejected his demands to help with his war against Iran.
“We don’t need too much help,” a frustrated Trump said in the Oval Office, where he was hosting Ireland’s taoiseach for St. Patrick’s Day. “We don’t need any help actually.”
It was a striking turnabout for the president, who had spent the last several days ardently insisting other countries send their warships to the strait to escort oil tankers. Iran has effectively shut the waterway, a key shipping lane for about 20% of the world’s oil, sending global energy prices soaring.
Trump had framed his demands as a test of loyalty, suggesting dispatching naval vessels would amount to a “very small endeavor” for countries that rely on the United States for their security. He said Tuesday that some countries were on board, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, though he did not specify in what capacity.
Most foreign leaders, however, had resisted, saying they wouldn’t become mired in a war they did not begin. And by Tuesday, Trump — who had claimed a day earlier he’d heard from “numerous” countries whose ships were “on the way” — was declaring most nations under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had failed to meet the moment.
“I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake. And I’ve long said that I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us,” he told reporters. “So this was a great test, because we don’t need them, but they should have been there.”
In the end, Trump’s effort at coalition-building lasted only a few days. He did not seek buy-in from countries besides Israel before launching the war in late February. Many leaders in Europe and the Persian Gulf said they were caught by surprise when the first salvos began.
#Trump#War#NATO
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Donald Trump's inner circle is growing alarmed that he may be losing control of the Iran war after allied countries flatly rejected his plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has demanded US allies deploy warships to reopen the critical oil passageway, but France, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom have all declined to help protect commercial shipping from Iranian attack.
Gas prices have surged to an average of $3.80 a gallon from $2.90 before the conflict began three weeks ago, while the narrow strait - through which a fifth of the world's oil flows - remains blocked by the threat of Iranian mines and missiles.
#Trump#War#NATO
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European military arrived in Greenland amid conflict with the United States
The first European military went to Greenland. This morning, 13 Bundeswehr soldiers took off from the Wunstorf airbase in Lower Saxony on an A400M aircraft. After stopping in Berlin, they head to Karup, Denmark, and then to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. This unit should assess the conditions for possible military involvement in support of Denmark.
At the same time, about 15 French soldiers have already arrived in Nuuk. As French Ambassador Olivier Poivre d'Arvor stated on France Info, this is a "strong political signal" — a demonstration of the NATO presence in Greenland.
The French military is participating in the European Arctic Endurance mission, which began at the request of Denmark. According to the diplomat, sending European soldiers amid pressure from the United States is unprecedented.
#Greenland#NATO
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🇺🇸A bill on the US withdrawal from NATO has been submitted to Congress Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has submitted to Congress a bill on the US withdrawal from NATO. In it, he called the alliance a "relic of the Cold War."
#Congress#NATO
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Trump has compiled a list of "disobedient" allies. An investigation by Axel Springer's global reporters, Jack Detch and Paul McLeery: 🇺🇸📋
US President Donald Trump is angry with NATO partners - many states did not support the US in the war against Iran. As global reporters Axel Springer Jack Detch and Paul McLeery found out, this may have consequences. The White House has already compiled a list of "disobedient" allies. ⚠️
According to three European diplomats and one U.S. Department of Defense official, U.S. officials have prepared a review of NATO members' activities and categorized them ahead of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's visit to Washington. 🇪🇺🤝
This suggests that Trump plans to impose sanctions on poor allies. One diplomat said that the list of "disobedient" countries appears to reflect this concept. 📉
"The White House has a 'disobedient and good' document, so the mindset is likely similar," the source noted. 📝
Trump has previously made it clear that he is displeased with the Europeans. 😠
The government is keeping the details secret, according to the informants. Additionally, there is still little clarity on what the "incentives" or "consequences" might look like. As reported by two European officials familiar with the plan, the United States may withdraw troops stationed in European countries, halt joint exercises, or cancel deals with allies classified as "bad" and instead transfer them to "good" allies. 🪖🚫
Poland and Romania remain favored by Trump. The Polish government, one of the largest contributors to NATO in terms of percentage, is already covering almost all the costs of hosting 10,000 U.S. troops in the country. And the recently expanded Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania, which the country has provided to the U.S. for its war against Iran, could host an additional U.S. contingent. Bulgaria has also provided unspoken support for U.S. logistics in the Middle East. Officials have also praised the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which have consistently been among the leaders of the alliance in terms of military spending. 🇵🇱🇷🇴🇧🇬🇱🇹🇱🇻🇪🇪
Spain, the United Kingdom, and France, which rejected or did not respond to American requests for support during the war with Iran, are more likely to be included in the list of "bad allies." 🇪🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷❌
#Trump#Europe#NATO
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