Trump waters down criticism of UK’s Chagos Islands deal after call with Starmer | Chagos Islands
Donald Trump has softened his criticism of Britain’s plan to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, saying the deal was the “best” Keir Starmer could have done.
Just last month, the US president described giving up sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the Diego Garcia military base, as “an act of great stupidity”. He also claimed that the deal was one of many “national security reasons” for the US to purchase Greenland.
Under the agreement, Britain will cede control of the islands to Mauritius, but will lease the largest, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there.
Trump approved the handover when Starmer visited the White House last year.
But in a post on Truth Social last month, Trump wrote: “There is no doubt that China and Russia recognize this act of complete weakness.
“The UK donating hugely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY and is yet another National Security reason why Greenland should be acquired.”
But after a “very productive” phone call with Starmer on Thursday, Trump appeared to return to the position of approving the deal.
Diego Garcia is “strategically located in the middle of the Indian Ocean and is therefore of great importance to the National Security of the United States,” the US president wrote on Truth Social.
He added that US military operations were successful last year; “thanks to the strength of our warriors, the modern capacity of our equipment and, most importantly, the strategic location of our Military Bases.”
“I understand that the deal that Prime Minister Starmer has made is, in the opinion of many, the best he could have done.”
But Trump added: “I reserve the right to militarily secure and strengthen the American presence in Diego Garcia if the lease breaks down at some point in the future or if anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our Base.
“Let it be known that I will never allow our presence at such an important Base to be undermined or threatened by false claims or environmental nonsense.”
After Starmer and Trump’s phone call, a Downing Street spokesman said they “agreed on the importance of the agreement to secure the joint UK-US base in Diego Garcia, which is vital to our shared security interests”.
The spokesman said the two also agreed that “the UK and the US will continue to work closely on the implementation of the agreement”.
The Conservative party and Reform UK were highly critical of the Chagos Islands agreement. Reacting to Trump’s statement, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: “The President’s statement today recognizes a critical weakness in the surrender agreement – the lease could break down, leaving our national security and that of our allies under even greater doubt. The agreement is clearly a threat to our national security and a major strategic mistake.”
“The Conservative Party’s view has not changed. We have led the fight against this appalling capitulation and will continue to fight to the end.”
Trump’s reversal came after he toned down a plan to seize control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous region belonging to NATO member Denmark.
Following a meeting with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum last month, Trump announced that “the framework for a future agreement” on Greenland had been reached after weeks of escalating threats.
