Dutch king Willem-Alexander has spoken out in support of Dutch soldiers who served with Nato forces in Afghanistan, in the wake of a row over comments made by US president Donald Trump.

During his visit to the World Economic Forum earlier this month, Trump said Nato troops had stayed “a bit in the background” and away from the front lines during the Afghanistan mission. He also questioned whether Nato allies would “be there” if the United States “ever needed them”.

During a visit to exercises by F-35 fighter jets at Schiphol airport, the king commented indirectly on Trump’s claims, which have been condemned by Dutch politicians and military personnel.

Between 2002 and 2021, the Netherlands deployed more than 30,000 service personnel to Afghanistan. Twenty-five Dutch soldiers were killed, several during combat operations. In total, 51 countries took part in the ISAF mission.

“We are proud of them and we stand together with them,” the king said. “We stood with our allies on the front line and we did great work. Unfortunately, 25 of them died and many others are still aware every day of the psychological and physical problems which stem from their time in Afghanistan. And we did this for our allies.”

The US ambassador to the Netherlands has said he sees “no indication” that Trump’s comments about Nato allies in Afghanistan were directed at the Netherlands.