Veterans and senior officials across Europe pushed back sharply on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested NATO allies had avoided front line combat during the war in Afghanistan, saying hundreds of European troops died fighting alongside American forces.
The backlash followed comments Trump made in a Fox News interview, where he said the United States had “never needed” NATO and accused allied nations of staying “a little off the front lines” during the two decade long conflict.
The remarks struck a nerve among former soldiers and political leaders in countries that contributed troops after NATO invoked its collective defense clause following the September 11 attacks.
Roman Polko, a retired Polish general and former special forces commander who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Trump’s comments crossed a line and demanded a retraction.
“We expect an apology for this statement,” Polko told Reuters. “We paid with blood for this alliance. We truly sacrificed our own lives.”
Britain’s veterans minister Alistair Carns, who completed five overseas tours including deployments alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan, rejected Trump’s claim outright.
“We shed blood, sweat and tears together,” Carns said in a video message posted on X. “Not everybody came home.”
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Richard Moore, the former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service, said he and many British officers had worked in high risk environments alongside U.S. counterparts.
“I was proud to serve with brave and highly esteemed CIA colleagues,” Moore said, calling the partnership one of deep mutual respect.
European officials pointed to NATO’s Article 5 clause, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. The provision was invoked only once, after the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, triggering allied participation in the U.S. led mission in Afghanistan.
The British prime minister’s office said Trump was “wrong to diminish the role of NATO troops” during the conflict, which lasted more than twenty years and involved forces from dozens of allied nations.
Poland, one of the largest European contributors, lost more than 40 soldiers during the campaign.
“Poland’s sacrifice will never be forgotten and must not be diminished,” Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak Kamysz said in a post on X, adding that Poland remained a “reliable and proven ally.”
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Some European politicians also highlighted Trump’s personal history. Britain’s Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey noted that Trump avoided military service during the Vietnam War.
“Trump avoided military service five times,” Davey wrote on X. “How dare he question their sacrifice.”
In Denmark, opposition lawmaker Rasmus Jarlov described Trump’s comments as “ignorant,” while stressing that European soldiers fought and died in combat zones alongside U.S. troops.
Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and has repeatedly urged allies to increase defense spending, arguments that resurfaced during his remarks this week.
While the White House has not responded to the criticism, the reaction from veterans and officials underscores lingering sensitivity over the Afghanistan war and the personal toll borne by allied forces.
Africa Digital News, New York
