Trump says U.Ok. return of Chagos Islands to Mauritius is cause to accumulate Greenland

LONDON — President Trump has accused the U.Ok. of “great stupidity” over its resolution final yr to surrender sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, an archipelago within the Indian Ocean that is house to one of the vital U.S.-U.Ok. army bases, at Diego Garcia.

Trump steered that Britain’s resolution to cede the islands to Mauritius is likely one of the causes behind his want to take over the semiautonomous territory of Greenland, which is managed by Denmark.

Below the Chagos settlement — signed by the U.Ok. and Mauritius in Might 2025 — the U.Ok. can proceed leasing Diego Garcia, protecting the important thing army facility in British and American arms for 99 years at a value of greater than $100 million a yr. U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described Diego Garcia as very important for Britain’s protection, intelligence and nationwide safety.

The U.S. had beforehand signaled assist for the settlement between the U.Ok. and Mauritius, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying in a assertion final Might that Trump “expressed his support for this monumental achievement.”

However in a put up on Fact Social early Tuesday morning — simply hours earlier than a historic deal with to the U.Ok. Parliament by Home Speaker Mike Johnson — Trump took a markedly totally different tone. “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” Trump mentioned within the put up.

“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness,” he mentioned. “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”

This modification in tone is the newest pressure on the trans-Atlantic relationship and comes a day after Starmer insisted in a nationwide deal with that “calm discussion between allies” was one of the simplest ways to beat variations with the U.S. over Greenland.

In response to Trump’s criticisms, the British prime minister’s workplace mentioned in a press release on Tuesday that the deal was crucial to guard the U.S.-U.Ok. army base.

“The UK will never compromise on our national security. We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future,” the assertion mentioned, referring to previous worldwide court docket rulings that sided with Mauritius and mentioned the U.Ok. had to surrender sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. “This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.”

The assertion mentioned that the settlement had been backed by the U.Ok.’s intelligence allies, together with the U.S., saying, “It has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan and South Korea.”

Talking within the Home of Commons, the minister of state for Europe, North America and abroad territories, Stephen Doughty, mentioned he was “surprised” by Trump’s feedback and mentioned the U.Ok. would “have discussions with the [U.S.] administration in the coming days to remind them of the strength of this deal and how it secures the base.”

U.S. Home Speaker Johnson, within the U.Ok. to mark 250 years of U.S. independence, acknowledged mounting tensions in his remarks to Parliament, saying he’d spoken with the president on Monday and “I felt that my mission here today was to encourage our friends and help to calm the waters, so to speak.”

He mentioned the 2 nations would proceed to work by way of their variations as associates.