The United States President Donald Trump, who is on a spree to impose tariffs on nations that oppose his unilateral plans, hit out at the United Kingdom over its plan to transfer the island of Diego Garcia, home to a US military base, to Mauritius on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the UK’s decision as “an act of great stupidity” and “an act of total weakness.”
Commenting on the issue, Trump wrote, “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US military base, to Mauritius, and to do so for no reason whatsoever. There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are international powers that only recognise strength, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.”
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of great stupidity and is another in a very long line of national security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired. Denmark and its European allies have to do the right thing,” he added.
Notably, last year Trump had indicated that he would support the UK’s deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
According to BBC News, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones has responded to Trump’s comments.
When asked whether the UK Prime Minister was humiliated by the US President’s remarks, he said, “I don’t think Britain should be embarrassed or humiliated at all, quite frankly.”
Britain has agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while continuing to retain control of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia through a long-term lease. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the 99-year lease arrangement would cost the UK £101 million annually.
The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965, before Mauritius gained independence. The UK bought the islands for £3 million, but Mauritius maintains it was forced into the deal. The creation of the military base led to the displacement of thousands of Chagossians, many of whom later resettled in Mauritius, the Seychelles, and the UK — particularly in Crawley, West Sussex.
