Summary
President Donald Trump made a claim that NATO forces were not very active in the Afghanistan War, which upset many of the U.S.'s allies. This led to concerns about the future relationship within the NATO alliance. Additionally, Trump had a controversial stance regarding Greenland, where he reversed his interest in acquiring the territory, which calmed tensions temporarily.
Key Facts
- President Trump claimed NATO troops did not play a significant role in the Afghanistan War.
- This claim upset U.S. allies and veterans, as many NATO countries were active in Afghanistan.
- More than 40 NATO partner nations participated in the Afghanistan War, including the UK, Canada, and Germany.
- The UK lost 457 soldiers in Afghanistan.
- NATO only invoked Article 5, the mutual-defense clause, after the 9/11 attacks in support of the U.S.
- Trump made a controversial proposal to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory.
- After meeting with Dutch PM Mark Rutte, Trump backed off from acquiring Greenland.
- The reversal on Greenland brought relief but did not eliminate underlying mistrust among European allies.
