European officials sharply criticized US President Donald Trump after he said the United States had “never needed” its European NATO partners and suggested non‑US forces in Afghanistan had held back from front‑line combat. The remarks prompted swift responses from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Australia and other allies, who said Trump’s portrayal was disrespectful to those who served and to families of the fallen.
Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said the president ought to apologize, calling such comments indecent and disrespectful to partners who fought alongside US troops. He rejected the suggestion that European contingents did not face the same dangers, noting that despite constitutional limits on early deployments, the Bundeswehr became one of Europe’s largest contributors after 2001. German forces suffered significant losses and injuries during the long Afghan mission, he said, and former defence minister Ursula von der Leyen made repeated visits to German personnel deployed there.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, speaking in Brussels, pressed the point about allied sacrifice, emphasizing that allied casualties were substantial and that America’s partners had paid dearly in Afghanistan. Rutte said he had raised those losses directly with Trump and stressed that allied contributions should not be minimized.
In Paris, officials held an impromptu ceremony to honor troops who died on overseas missions after the comments. Alice Rufo, a defence ministry delegate, said the wreath‑laying was arranged quickly to show that the memory of those who died would not be insulted.
Dozens of NATO countries sent forces to Afghanistan after the 11 September 2001 attacks. Several smaller contingents saw heavy combat: for example, Danish troops served and died in Helmand province alongside British forces, and Denmark’s 44 deaths there — when considered against its population of about 6 million — produced a casualty rate comparable to the United States. In total, Germany lost 59 soldiers and had roughly 500 wounded over the course of its Afghanistan mission.
The United Kingdom and Australia also publicly rejected Trump’s characterization. British leaders and officials conveyed concern, and Trump later posted a message praising the bravery of UK soldiers and acknowledging the 457 UK personnel who died in Afghanistan. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the remarks completely unacceptable and warned that families of Australians killed in Afghanistan would be hurt by such comments. He noted that about 40,000 Australians served in the campaign and that many of them were on the frontlines defending democratic values and national interests.
Trump made the comments in a Fox News interview following a contentious week that included his public effort to buy Greenland and a subsequent exchange with Denmark. In the interview he said the US had never really asked much of NATO allies and suggested some allied troops had stayed back from the worst fighting in Afghanistan.
Allies said the timeline and scope of their deployments — and the lives lost — tell a different story. Their leaders framed the response as a defense of veterans and fallen service members and as a reminder of the multinational sacrifices made during two decades of operations in Afghanistan.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic