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Trump praises UK troops as brave warriors after widespread condemnation
campaign rally at the Forum River Centre in Rome, Georgia, US. — Reuters/File
- King Charles’ concern over Trump’s initial remarks.
- Trump says soldiers of UK will always be with US.
- Soldiers’ sacrifice must not be forgotten: British PM.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday praised “brave” British soldiers, calling them warriors, a day after remarks he made about Nato troops in Afghanistan were described as “insulting and appalling” by Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Trump provoked widespread anger in Britain and across Europe after he said European troops had stayed off the front lines in Afghanistan.
Britain lost 457 service personnel killed in Afghanistan, its deadliest overseas war since the 1950s. For several of the war’s most intense years it led the allied campaign in Helmand, Afghanistan’s biggest and most violent province, while also fighting as the main US battlefield ally in Iraq.
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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 Sun on Sunday newspaper reported that King Charles’ concern over Trump’s initial remarks had been relayed to the president, who last year expressed his admiration for the monarch during a state visit to Britain. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the report.
Trump had also provoked an unusually strong reaction from Starmer, who has tended to avoid direct criticism of the president in public.
The British leader’s office issued a statement to say the prime minister had spoken to the president on Saturday about the issue.
“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,” the statement said. “We must never forget their sacrifice,” he said.
Veterans in Britain and elsewhere have been lining up to condemn the US president’s comments to Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” on Thursday, in which he said that the United States had “never needed” the transatlantic alliance and accused allies of staying “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan.
Among them was King Charles’ younger son Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan.
“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect,” he said in a statement.
- India will buy more oil from US, Venezuela, says Trump.
- PM Modi thanks Trump for reducing tariffs on Indian products.
- Modi pledges to buy over $500bn worth of US products: Trump.
US President Donald Trump on Monday said he had agreed on a trade deal with India that slashes US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50% in exchange for India lowering trade barriers, stopping its purchases of Russian oil and buying oil instead from the US and potentially Venezuela.
“Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a Trade Deal between the United States and India, whereby the United States will charge a reduced Reciprocal Tariff, lowering it from 25% to 18%,” Trump said in a social media post following a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A White House official told Reuters that the US was rescinding a punitive, 25% duty on all imports from India over its purchases of Russian oil that had stacked on top of a 25% “reciprocal” tariff rate.
Modi also committed to buy more than $500 billion worth of US energy, technology, agricultural and other products, Trump added.
“Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%,” Modi said in a social media post on X. “Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement.”
US-listed shares of major Indian companies rallied on the news. IT consulting firm Infosys was up 3.53% in afternoon trading, consultancy Wipro rose 7%, HDFC Bank gained 3.4% and the iShares MSCI India exchange-traded fund rallied 3.3%.
On Saturday, Trump teased a potential deal for India to buy Venezuelan oil after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid in early January.
The deal comes after months of tense trade negotiations between the world’s two largest democracies.
Last August, Trump doubled duties on imports from India to 50% to pressure New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil, and earlier this month said the rate could rise again if it did not curb its purchases.
Purchases of Venezuelan oil would help replace some of the Russian oil bought by India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer.
India relies heavily on oil imports, covering around 90% of its needs, and importing cheaper Russian oil has helped lower its import costs since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022 and western nations slapped sanctions on its energy exports.
Recently India has begun to slow its purchases from Russia. In January, they were around 1.2 million barrels per day, and are projected to decline to about 1 million bpd in February and 800,000 bpd in March, according to a Reuters report.
Indian markets have been battered since the tariffs were levied by Washington, making it the worst-performing market among emerging nations in 2025, with record outflows of foreign investors.
Welsh singer, a much loved artist who left an impact on the industry, has passed away after spending more than 60 years in music.
Tony Jones, best known as one half of the famous duo Tony and Aloma, has died at the age of 86.
Tony was a familiar and cherished name in Welsh music and for decades, he performed all over Wales and other places as well, appearing in cabaret shows, television programmes and live concerts.
However, Tony and Aloma became hugely popular during the 60s and 70s, winning the hearts of fans with their music.
The duo sold more than 100,000 albums and were known for hit songs including Mae Gen i Cariad and Dim Ond Ti a Fi.
After eight years apart, Tony and Aloma reunited back in the mid 1980s, bringing joy to fans who followed their journey for years.
Aloma, meanwhile, shared an emotional message through a family member, saying: “Thanks you all for your sympathy and your kind words, without you all there would be no Tony and Aloma.”
Musicians Iona and Andrew Boggie also paid tribute, calling him “a great songwriter, a wonderful voice and a very lovely person.”
Furthermore, Sain record company described Tony as “a friend of Sain for decades” and thanked him for lasting contribution to Welsh music.
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