Ursula von der Leyen said: "We increased our troop numbers by 18 percent last year when others were cutting theirs. So we don't see ourselves in the front row of people who should be asked for more soldiers."

The Ministry of Defence in London said it had already announced in June that 85 more soldiers would be sent, bringing the UK detachment to 600.

A Whitehall source said: We dont see that number changing.

French defence expert Jean-Dominique Merchet, said: "I would be astonished if France was prepared to send troops back to Afghanistan.

"We are already heavily present in the Sahel with 4,500 troops in Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso, and in Iraq, where there are around 1,000 French soldiers. That's a lot.

"France lost not far off 100 men in Afghanistan for nothing and their presence there could not be called a success."

Mr Trumps decision to remain in Afghanistan risked angering supporters who voted for his America First campaign promises to end US foreign interventions.

Breitbart, the conservative news website run by his former strategist Steve Bannon, called the new strategy a "flip-flop."

After his speech, Mr Trump flew to Arizona to rally supporters and try to recapture the Republican fervour that helped put him in office.

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Nato allies shy away from Trump's demand for more Afghanistan troops - Telegraph.co.uk