US dismisses proposals to ‘review’ Britain’s Falklands claim following visit from King Charles
The US rejected suggestions to ‘examine’ Britain’s Falkland Islands claim following King Charles’ visit to the White House.
An internal e-mail leaked from the Pentagon claimed that the United States was considering punishing Britain by re-evaluating its claim in the region for not supporting the Iran war.
But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed the reports, telling the Sun it was ‘just an email’ and the reaction was ‘over-excited’.
The diplomatic row erupted on the eve of the monarch’s trip to Washington and risked overshadowing the visit; Charles called for taking up the dispute directly with Donald Trump.
The newspaper quoted Rubio as saying: ‘It was just an email. People get overly excited about an email. It was just an email with some ideas.’
It is understood that Secretary of State Yvette Cooper discussed the issue face to face with Rubio at a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, during which she repeated the claim that the email was exaggerated.
The leaked email, apparently drafted by a junior adviser, claimed the US could review its stance on Britain’s claim to ‘imperial possession’ after Prime Minister Keir Starmer denied US jets access to Diego Garcia and mainland bases at the start of the Iran war.
Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, was immediately optimistic about the proposals.
Queen Camilla, King Charles III, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at a farewell ceremony at the White House on the last day of a state visit on April 30
President Donald Trump calls Charles ‘the greatest king in my book’ as he bids farewell to the King and Queen at the White House
“We are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that the Argentine Malvinas, the islands and the entire region fall into Argentinian hands,” Milei said in a radio interview published on his X account.
‘We are making progress like never before.’
Deputy President Victoria Villarruel insisted: ‘The dispute over the sovereignty of our islands is between states, so the United Kingdom should dispute bilaterally with Argentina the claim we maintain for legal, historical and geographical reasons.’
The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory located in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina.
Britain and Argentina fought a brief war over the islands in 1982 after Argentina made an unsuccessful attempt to take them. Approximately 650 Argentine soldiers and 255 British soldiers died before Argentina surrendered.
A Foreign Office official told the Sun: ‘Our position on the islands remains neutral. We acknowledge that there are conflicting claims to sovereignty between Argentina and the United Kingdom.
‘We de facto recognize UK administration of the islands but take no position on either side’s claims to sovereignty.’
Following Charles’ four-day state visit to the US, Trump hailed him as ‘the greatest king in my book’.
In their final days, Charles and Camilla met with locals in the Virginia town of Front Royal, and the King also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
After the royal family bid farewell to Trump, Trump was heard telling the media: ‘They are truly wonderful people. We need more people like this in our country.’
Before leaving the United States, Charles was taken by Trump’s helicopter to the military headquarters of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Royal Marine Peter Robinson carrying the Union Jack as he marched towards Stanley in the final hours of the Falklands War in June 1982
‘They’re really great people. Trump told the media about Charles and Camilla: We need more people like this in our country.
Despite American assurances that the Falklands proposal is overblown, the RAF remains on ‘high alert’ and ‘ready’ to defend Britain’s overseas territories.
Writing for The Times, Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth said fighter jets had protected the islands since the 1982 war and the RAF’s role in defending the airspace was ‘indisputable’.
He added that the air force was ready to intervene ‘at a moment’s notice’ to protect British citizens.
“From the recent UK ‘rapid reaction alert’ to a suspected Russian ‘bear’ bomber approaching our airspace from the north, to fighter jets based in the Falklands (which have defended the islands since the 1982 war) and our current Typhoon deployment in Romania as part of NATO’s vital advanced air policing mission, the RAF’s role in defending airspace is undeniable.” he wrote.
In response to news of the leaked Pentagon memo, Downing Street insisted the sovereignty of the islands was ‘not in question’.
‘Sovereignty vests in the United Kingdom and the islands’ right to self-determination is paramount. “This has been our consistent position and will remain that way,” a spokesman said.
