Could the UK lose the Falklands after leaked memo says US could withdraw support?

Britain has reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands after a leaked memo from Washington suggested it may withdraw US support.

A leaked internal Pentagon email has suggested that Washington may review its stance on Britain’s claim to the islands as part of a broader punishment of NATO allies who have not shown support for the US war in Iran.

Since launching his offensive in the Middle East, Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO for its lack of support and threatened to withdraw completely, branding the alliance a “paper tiger”.

The secret memo, which also calls for the removal of Spain from the alliance, highlights the idea of ​​re-evaluating Washington’s diplomatic support for Europe’s “imperial possessions” such as the Falkland Islands.

A spokesman for British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer reaffirmed Britain’s sovereignty over the islands: “We could not be clearer about the UK’s position on the Falkland Islands. “This has been going on for a long time, it has not changed.

“Sovereignty remains with the United Kingdom and the islands’ right to self-determination is paramount. This has been and will remain our consistent position,” the spokesman said. The spokesman added that the UK had expressed this position “clearly and consistently to successive US administrations”.

More than 3,600 people live in the Falkland Islands, a small archipelago in the South Atlantic, according to the 2021 census. Argentina invaded the islands in 1982 and occupied them for 10 weeks, after long-running negotiations with Great Britain failed over ownership of the Islands. The Reagan administration openly supported Britain throughout the conflict.

Experts told Independent Losing US support for British sovereignty would have no practical effect, he said.

Admiral Lord West of Spithead, commander of HMS Ardent, a ship sunk in the Falklands War, said losing US support for British sovereignty would have “no effect” militarily.

“Recognition or non-recognition by the United States does not make the Islands less safe,” the former Royal Navy commander-in-chief added.

Philip Ingram MBE, a former colonel, said: Independent He said Washington’s withdrawal of support could not undermine international law and the will of Falklands citizens.

“Under international law, the fate of the Falkland Islands depends on the will of its people, no matter what Trump says, so their sovereignty is not under any threat,” he said.

“Argentina is many years away from developing a capability that could threaten the Falklands, and the small force the UK has there could be strengthened quickly despite the pressures on our armed forces. This is just Trump clickbait and nothing more.”

Questions about Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands have increased since Argentine president Javier Milei took office in 2023. The populist leader, who has strong relations with the US president, has repeatedly asserted Argentina’s sovereignty over the islands.

According to the South Atlantic news agency, President Milei said earlier this month: “I want to reaffirm our right to fully exercise our sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.” MercoPress.

Residents of the Falkland Islands voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining an overseas territory of the United Kingdom during a sovereignty referendum in 2013.

Only three of the 1,517 votes cast in the two-day referendum, with a turnout of over 90 percent, voted against.

In a speech marking the 44th anniversary of the 1982 conflict, Argentina’s president said the war “does not change the legal nature of this dispute, which continues to be recognized by the United Nations as a special and special colonial situation, which must be resolved through a mature and sincere dialogue between Argentina and the United Kingdom.”

A total of 255 British Armed Forces personnel and 649 Argentine military personnel were killed in the Falklands War, which ended 74 days after Argentina handed over control to Britain. Argentina still has not been able to rebuild its navy.

The Falkland Islands had been under British rule since 1833, but Argentina had long disputed this claim. Before European discovery in the 17th century, the islands were believed to be uninhabited.

In 1765, British captain John Byron claimed the islands on behalf of Britain. There were various French, British, Spanish and Argentine settlements on the islands before the United Kingdom reestablished its sovereignty.

While Washington’s potential threat is unlikely to have any real impact on the Falkland Islands’ sovereignty, it does point to a further deterioration in relations between the UK and the US.

President Trump said on Thursday that King Charles’ state trip later this month could help mend strained relations after criticizing Sir Keir Starmer as weak and indecisive.

Asked about his intervention and whether the two could repair their relationship, Trump said: “If he opens the North Sea and his immigration policies get stronger (which they are not right now), he could get better, but if he doesn’t get better, I don’t think he has any chance.”