Javier Milei responds to Donald Trump’s Falkland’s threat with strange demand

A leaked internal Pentagon email suggested the US should reassess its support for the UK’s claim on the islands due to a lack of British support over Iran. The Pentagon email outlined potential measures to punish NATO allies deemed unsupportive of US operations in Iran, including reassessing Washington’s diplomatic backing for longstanding European “imperial possessions” such as the Falkland Islands. Argentina’s foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, responded to the reports by urging an end to what he described as British “colonialism” and calling for bilateral talks with the UK to come to a “peaceful and definitive solution.”

On Friday, Javier Milei, a long-time Donald Trump ally wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about the islands, also known as the Malvinas in Spanish: “THE MALVINAS WERE, ARE, AND ALWAYS WILL BE ARGENTINE.”

In a separate interview Argentine news outlet Neura Media, the president also said: “We are doing everything humanly possible to bring the Falkland Islands back into Argentine hands.

“Sovereignty is non-negotiable, but it must be handled judiciously, with brains.”

Argentina has long maintained a claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a dispute that escalated into war in 1982 when Argentine forces invaded before being defeated by Britain in a brief but intense conflict.

The US president is an ally of Argentina’s president Javier Milei. Trump’s relationship with Prime Minister Keir Starmer has significantly deteriorated since the start of the Iran war. Trump has publicly criticised Starmer’s refusal to fully join US led strikes on Iran, accusing him of hesitation and lack of support for allied action.

Trump suggested the traditional “special relationship” was “not what it was” and expressed disappointment in UK cooperation

When asked about the leaked email, a No 10 spokesman said on Friday: “We could not be clearer about the UK’s position on the Falkland Islands. It is longstanding, it is unchanged.

“Sovereignty rests with the UK and the islands’ right to ​self-determination is paramount. It’s been our consistent position and will remain ⁠the case.”

The spokesperson added that Britain had expressed that position “clearly and consistently to successive US administrations.”