President Javier Milei has said âwinds of change favourableâ to Argentinaâs claim to the Falkland Islands were âblowing around the worldâ in a televised address, citing signs that Donald Trump might reconsider the US position on the islandsâ sovereignty.
âRecently, President Trump declared that the US is re-evaluating its historic position in relation to the Malvinas,â he said, using the Argentinian name for the islands.
The Argentinian president said the UK was facing âmultiple crises of a migratory, demographic and economic nature that are unlikely to be resolved. It is clear that they are on a path of decline. Argentinaâs future, however, is flourishing and will prevail.â
Earlier on Thursday, Trump was asked by British outlet GB News if he would âcome to the UKâs aidâ during a potential territorial dispute over the Falkland Islands with Argentina, and hinted that he would not, adding that the UK âwerenât there to help me [with Iran]â.
Supporters had expected Milei to use his address to the nation on Thursday night to announce an unprecedented US endorsement of Argentinaâs sovereignty claim over the Falkland Islands.
Instead, the self-styled libertarian, when asked whether he was reviewing the US position on the islands, repeated the US presidentâs words, saying: âI always review every position. Thatâs just one of many.â
The far-right president then portrayed Trumpâs response as a âthreatâ that was ânot innocuousâ.
âThe US is considering this change of position because it knows that Argentina has a reliable partner, aligned with western values, in a strategically important position that can be a valuable ally in the decades to come,â he said.
The US has formally recognised the UKâs de facto administration of the islands but has not taken a formal position on sovereignty. The first reports of a possible revision emerged in April, when an internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters raised the prospect of Washington reconsidering its stance as one possible way of punishing Nato allies that declined to join the Iran war.
In Thursdayâs interview, Trump said of the UK: âYour country was not there to help me. We didnât need help, but I did ask Nato, and I asked your former leader [Keir Starmer], âwhy donât you send a couple of ships?â. He said, âWe donât have anyâ. It was pretty sad, the whole thing.â
Despite the expectations created by Milei and his supporters â the president summoned all his ministers to stand alongside him â the main new elements of the speech were a few decrees announced by the president.
One of them is to speed up sanctions âagainst those participating in oil extraction initiativesâ, specifically citing an offshore oil project in the North Falkland Basin led by the Israeli company Navitas alongside its British partner Rockhopper. Milei claimed the project violated a UN call for neither Argentina nor the UK to take unilateral action in the territory.
Despite his âradicalâ austerity policies, Milei also said he would sign an emergency decree to increase resources for the defence ministry, prioritising the construction of an integrated naval base in Tierra del Fuego. The project to build a base there predates Milei, and construction began in 2022.
The UK said earlier this week that its position on the Falklands was âlong-standing and unwaveringâ. It said in a statement: âSovereignty rests with the UK, and the islandersâ right to self-determination is paramount. The UKâs position is clear. The islanders have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory.â
Some analysts had already viewed Mileiâs recent embrace of the Malvinas cause as another attempt to create a âsmokescreenâ at the lowest point of his popularity since taking office. He is expected to seek re-election next year.
Amid corruption allegations involving members of his government and poor economic results â his âchainsawâ austerity policies have brought inflation under control, but unemployment and poverty have risen â the far-right president has increasingly turned up the volume on controversial measures, including claims of an anti-Argentina campaign dating back to the World Cup, attacks on Brazilâs leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and an immigration crackdown modelled on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Many have also noted that his interest in the issue is recent. Milei had long described himself as a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister during the 1982 Falklands war, and only began adopting a public pro-sovereignty stance a few months ago, after reports emerged that the US might be reconsidering its position.
The far-right leader also dismissed the principle of self-determination invoked by the UK â in a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of the islanders voted to remain a British overseas territory.
Echoing the same phrase used by Argentinaâs national team on a banner celebrating their victory over England in the World Cup semi-final, Milei said that âThe Malvinas are Argentinian.â
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