‘Great Stupidity’: Trump Slams UK’s Chagos Islands Deal
Trump slams the UK Chagos Islands deal as dangerous for national security, warning it could benefit China and Russia and weaken US military power.
US President Donald Trump has called Britain's agreement to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a crucial military base "a tremendous mistake," just months after he had supported the move.
Britain struck the £3.4bn ($4.6bn) deal in May, under which it would retain control of a UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.
Trump had previously indicated he was prepared to support the deal, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called it "a historic achievement."
In a social media post on Tuesday, the US president linked the deal to his ongoing efforts to acquire Greenland, saying it was "yet another reason on a very long list of national security reasons" for his stance.
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"Incredibly, our 'great' NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is now planning to give away the Diego Garcia island, the site of a vital American military base, to Mauritius, and for no reason whatsoever," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Trump added, "There is no doubt that China and Russia have taken notice of this act of weakness."
He continued: "Britain giving away such important land is a tremendous mistake, and it is yet another reason on a very long list of national security reasons why Greenland should be acquired."
Under the deal, Britain agreed to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining control of a UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.
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Sir Keir Starmer, then the UK's Shadow Foreign Secretary, said at the time that the 99-year leaseback of Diego Garcia would cost Britain £101m annually, and said it was necessary to protect the base from "malign influence." Before the deal was signed, Britain offered Trump an effective veto, given its potential impact on US security.
The president's aides had criticized the plan, but during a meeting with Sir Keir in the Oval Office last February, Trump said, "I think we'll be prepared to go along with your country."
After the deal was signed in May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that Washington "welcomed" the agreement. He added that it ensured the "long-term, stable, and effective operation of the US-UK joint military facility at Diego Garcia," which he described as "a vital asset for regional and global security."
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