Trump Davos remarks spark Greenland and NATO row (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Did you get what you wanted on Greenland?

[00:00:02] Speaker 2: Donald Trump's frenzied two-day appearance at the World Economic Forum ended with more questions than answers about Greenland. An immediate crisis between the U.S. and its European allies was averted, but there's still uncertainty over the future of the world's largest island. As he returned to Washington, the president was again pressed by reporters to explain what the deal, which he says will last forever, really means.

[00:00:28] Speaker 3: We can do anything we want, we can do military, we can do anything we want, and it's being negotiated and let's see what happens, I think it'll be good.

[00:00:39] Speaker 2: Mr Trump added that we would know more in two weeks, another deadline from the president to find out whether this is a deal that everyone can live with. While we wait for further clarification, there is a sense of relief across Europe that the dispute over the island didn't escalate further. Donald Trump dominated the headlines during his time in Davos. As well as Greenland, he launched his Board of Peace initiative, envisioned initially as part of the peace process in Gaza, but with many countries reserving judgment and refusing to sign up, while overnight he continued his war of words with Canada by withdrawing its invitation to join the new body. The president also provoked outrage among MPs and veterans in the UK after claiming NATO troops stayed away from the front line in Afghanistan. His comments came during an interview with Fox News, in which he reiterated his suggestion that NATO would not support America if asked.

[00:01:39] Speaker 4: We have never really asked anything of them, you know, they'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that, and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.

[00:01:50] Speaker 2: The UK was among several allies to join the US in Afghanistan from 2001, when it invoked NATO's collective security clause after the attacks on 9-11.

[00:02:01] Speaker 5: It's an absolute insult. It's an insult to 457 families who lost someone in Afghanistan. How dare he say we weren't on the front lines?

[00:02:12] Speaker 2: Mr Trump is now back at the White House, leaving chaos, confusion and much anger behind him in Europe. Peter Bowes, BBC News.

[00:02:23] Speaker 1: Well as you heard there, President Trump has faced criticism after claiming NATO troops stayed back from the front lines during the war in Afghanistan. 457 British service personnel were killed in the conflict. The health minister, Stephen Kinnock, told BBC Breakfast he was disappointed by President Trump's comments.

[00:02:43] Speaker 6: Our armed forces are the definition of patriotism, courage, dedication, professionalism. They put their lives on the line to defend our country. And I am disappointed by President Trump's comments, because to imply that we as a country that has always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States and the other European NATO allies have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States, have taken part in US-led missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, 457 British soldiers lost their lives, that is, you know, that is the reality. We always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our NATO allies.

[00:03:39] Speaker 1: Let's speak to our political correspondent, Damian Grammaticus, and Damian, a strong reaction from politicians across the board to the President's comments.

[00:03:48] Speaker 7: Yes, absolutely. I mean, there you heard the minister saying it was deeply disappointing. He also earlier had said it was plainly wrong. Now, in diplomatic language, that's pretty strong coming from the UK, where there's been a reluctance to criticise Donald Trump too much directly. But yes, other politicians outside government, much more vocal. So you heard Emily Thornberry in the report there, who was saying that this was an absolute insult. From the Conservative side, we've heard disgraceful and appalling. The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, saying how dare he question their sacrifice, coming from someone who he said avoided military service. And when you look at the casualty figures, it's hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries for the UK. Other countries too, like Denmark and other NATO countries, proportionately, as a proportion of the size of the country's population, similar sacrifices to those made by US troops.