What Hegseth claimed

Pete Hegseth, who served as a Minnesota Army National Guard instructor in Afghanistan, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday. He said that at the coalition base in Kabul there would be 50 flags at the headquarters, and that while 50 countries contributed to the Nato and Isaf mission, only about five contributed meaningfully - with the number involved in kinetic operations closer to one or two by the end.

He told his audience that troops had a running joke about the Isaf patch: "we joked that it meant 'I Saw Americans Fighting'". The alliance, he suggested, felt like a burden rather than burden-sharing.

The toll among allied troops

The casualty record runs against that characterisation. Almost 2,500 US forces died in Afghanistan, about two-thirds of the total death toll, but personnel from more than 30 nations also died there.

• Almost 2,500 US service members killed - roughly two-thirds of all coalition deaths
• Dead included personnel from more than 30 nations
• The UK lost 457 personnel

Downing Street's response

Downing Street criticised Hegseth for downplaying the role of Nato allies in combat operations in Afghanistan. Andy Burnham's official spokesperson said: "Frankly, the facts speak for themselves when it comes to the UK's and Nato's contribution to Afghanistan."

The spokesperson added that "Thousands of British and allied families made huge sacrifices to play their significant part in that war", with more than 450 British personnel never returning home. "And it is wrong to diminish their role", the spokesperson said, noting that the armed forces' service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Echoes of Starmer's January rebuke

The rebuke echoes Keir Starmer's January criticism of Trump, when the then prime minister said the president should apologise for what he called "insulting and frankly appalling" remarks claiming that Nato troops had stayed "a little back, a little off the frontlines" in Afghanistan.

On Ukraine, No 10 was more careful in distancing itself from Trump's engagement with Russia, saying the UK's backing for Ukraine was "unwavering". That stance sits against a backdrop in which Trump has renewed criticism of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, eased sanctions on Russia and limited intelligence-sharing that helps Ukraine counter Russian missile and drone attacks.

Asked about reports of a mooted US-Russia-China peace summit without Ukraine, the No 10 spokesperson said that was a matter for those countries, and for Ukraine to speak for itself. The spokesperson said the UK wants Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace, citing "Our support for Ukraine is unwavering, and I think you saw that in the prime minister's meeting with President Zelenskyy last week".