Donald Trump has paid tribute to the UK’s ‘great and very brave soldiers’ – after sparking fury with claims British troops dodged the Afghanistan front line.

In a statement, the US President said: ‘The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! 

‘In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. 

‘It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’

Earlier this week Mr Trump was accused of ‘trampling on the memories’ of Britain’s 457 war dead with his claim they had stayed ‘a little off the frontlines’.

The President made no mention of the Danes or other NATO soldiers who died in the country. 

Downing Street led a chorus of condemnation as Sir Keir Starmer branded Mr Trump’s remarks ‘insulting and frankly appalling,’ suggesting he should apologise.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch today said she was ‘pleased’ the president had ‘now acknowledged the role of the British armed forces and those brave men and women who gave their lives fighting alongside the US and our allies’.

She added, ‘It should never have been questioned in the first place’ – after previously branding the comments ‘complete nonsense’.

It is understood Sir Keir raised Mr Trump’s remarks about Nato troops in Afghanistan directly with the US president in a conversation today.

A Number 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister ‘raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home’, and told Mr Trump ‘we must never forget their sacrifice’.

The two men also discussed the war in Ukraine, which approaches its fourth anniversary, and the Prime Minister ‘reiterated that international partners must continue to support Ukraine in its defence against Putin’s barbaric attacks’.

They also touched on the UK-US relationship and the need for ‘bolstered security in the Arctic’, with Sir Keir saying this was ‘an absolute priority for his Government’.

Following the President’s incendiary interview with US media, decorated veterans, MPs from all parties and the families of soldiers killed and wounded lined up to vent their hurt and anger.

The UK suffered the second highest number of military deaths – 457 – in the Afghanistan conflict, behind the US, which saw 2,461 deaths.

In total, America’s allies suffered 1,160 deaths in the conflict, around a third of the total coalition deaths.

Many pointed out that Mr Trump himself had repeatedly swerved military service in Vietnam.

Doug Beattie, a former Army captain who won the Military Cross in Afghanistan, said: ‘I will not allow anybody to trample over the memory of those men and women who I served alongside, who gave so much.

‘We need to stand up to him, stand up to his bullying. This is a man who doesn’t understand service because he dodged the draft and now he is insulting those who served their country.’

Prince Harry, who was twice deployed to Afghanistan in his ten-year military career, joined the condemnation, saying: ‘I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there.

‘Thousands of lives were changed for ever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.

‘Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect.’ 

President Trump – just days after clashing with Nato allies over his bid to take control of Greenland – told Fox News he was ‘not sure’ the military alliance of Western countries would be there for America ‘if we ever needed them’.

In what was taken as a cheap shot at his country’s closest friends, he claimed: ‘We’ve never needed them… we have never really asked anything of them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan. And they did – they stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines.’

His comments triggered outrage, with ministers dispensing with diplomatic protocol. Al Carns, the Armed Forces minister and a former commando who served five tours in Afghanistan, said Britain had fought ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with US troops after America asked Nato allies to come to its aid following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Mr Carns raged: ‘This is utterly ridiculous. We shed blood, sweat and tears together. Not everybody came home. 

‘I’d suggest whoever believes these comments come have a whisky with me, my colleagues, their families and importantly, the families of those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for both of our nations.’

Calvin Bailey, Labour MP and a former RAF Wing Commander, was awarded a US Air Medal for serving with American special ops in Afghanistan. 

He blasted: ‘The notion that we weren’t in and amongst the front line, albeit I was a pilot, is for the birds.’

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, accused the President of talking ‘flat-out nonsense’, adding: ‘Their sacrifice deserves respect, not denigration.’ 

Sir Jeremy Hunt, former foreign secretary, called Mr Trump’s remarks ‘totally unacceptable, factually wrong and deeply disrespectful’.

In his response to the US President, Sir Keir said: ‘I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and, in fact, across the country. If I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologise.’

Diane Dernie, the mother of ex-Paratrooper Ben Parkinson who is regarded as the most severely injured British soldier to have survived in Afghanistan, decried Mr Trump as ‘a childish man trying to deflect from his own actions’.

Ex-paratrooper Mr Parkinson, now 41, suffered horrendous injuries when an Army Land Rover hit a mine near Musa Qala in 2006.

Ms Dernie added: ‘Come and look at the life that Ben leads – 19 years on, still fighting for his care, still fighting to have a decent life, recovering from a recent operation. [Keir Starmer] has got to stand up for his own Armed Forces, and he’s got to absolutely refute what Donald Trump said.

‘Call him out. Make a stand for those who fought for this country and for our flag.’

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: ‘Trump avoided military service five times. How dare he question their sacrifice.’

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage – a personal friend of the President – wrote on X: ‘Donald Trump is wrong. For 20 years our Armed Forces fought bravely alongside America’s in Afghanistan.’

Earlier this week Mr Trump dropped his threat to invade Greenland following a furious bust–up with Britain and other Nato allies.

Speaking after talks with Nato chief Mark Rutte, the US President said he had agreed ‘the framework of a future deal’ regarding the control of the Arctic island, which he claims is vital for American security.

Mr Trump added that he was suspending plans to slap tariffs on Britain and other countries resisting his Greenland grab.

Markets in the US rallied on his announcement, having climbed on his earlier proclamation that he would not use force to take the ‘big, beautiful piece of ice’.

And the Daily Mail revealed he was also mulling over making the inhabitants of Greenland (population 57,000) an offer of $1million each – £750,000 or €850,000 – if they vote to join the United States.

On Wednesday night, Nato military officers were discussing an arrangement where Denmark would cede ‘small pockets of Greenlandic’ territory to the US, where it could build military bases.

Senior officials compared the proposal to UK military bases in Cyprus – which are treated as sovereign British territories.

Mr Trump told reporters it was ‘the ultimate long–term deal’. When asked how long, he replied: ‘Infinite. There is no time limit. It’s a deal that’s forever.’

He had earlier written on his Truth Social social media platform: ‘Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of Nato, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.

‘This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all Nato Nations.’

Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the US owning Greenland is a ‘red line’ that will not happen.

He said Copenhagen would keep ownership of Greenland, despite Mr Trump’s earlier demand for negotiations on an ‘acquisition’. ‘It’s not going to happen that the US will own Greenland. That’s a red line,’ Mr Rasmussen told national broadcaster DR.

Mr Trump’s apparent climbdown on the imposition of tariffs over the Greenland dispute will fuel critics who coined the term TACO, short for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’.

The row that has played out over the last fortnight has raised serious questions about the survival of Nato and yesterday plunged Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the US into crisis. During a rambling address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Trump sought to often belittle his allies.

In a reference to America’s role in the Second World War, he told his mainly European audience: ‘Without us, you’d all be speaking German, with maybe a little Japanese.’