The Argentine president, Javier Milei, stated that he would sanction oil companies that conduct drilling in the Falkland Islands, reinforcing the country’s claims to sovereignty over the British overseas territory.
Milei’s statements, delivered in a nationally televised address on Thursday, came days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was reviewing the United States’ neutral stance toward the remote archipelago in the South Atlantic.
The prospect of oil companies conducting exploration on the islands — which Argentina calls the Malvinas — represents an urgent threat to Argentine interests, Milei said, 44 years after his country was defeated by the United Kingdom in a war over sovereignty.
Milei, an ally of Trump, mentioned the possible shift in the U.S. position and said that the “winds of change” favored Argentina’s claim. He stated that he was sending to Congress a bill aimed at strengthening Argentina’s response to violations of its sovereignty.
UNWAVERING BRITISH POSITION
The United Kingdom, which has controlled the territory since 1833, said on Friday that its position on the islands is “unwavering”.
“The islands are British and will remain so, as this is the overwhelming position of the islanders,” said British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on X.
“Their right to self-determination is paramount, grounded in international law, and we will defend it with determination.”
The British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting added that Milei’s words reflect “Argentina’s domestic politics”.
Milei had previously advocated diplomacy as the best way to pursue Argentina’s claim to the Falklands, but with more oil drilling planned for the coming months and Trump’s repeated mentions of the islands, he is now adopting a tougher tone.
Trump told GB News on Thursday that he was not sure whether the United Kingdom would be prepared to fight for the islands again.
“I simply don’t know if you have the capacity to do that,” Trump said. “The Falklands issue is very interesting because your country is not the same as 20 or 25 years ago.”
A possible shift in the U.S. position toward the Falklands was included among a range of options considered by the Pentagon earlier this year to pressure NATO allies who, in its view, did not back U.S. military operations in the war against Iran.
