LONDON (AP) — A startled British government on Tuesday defended its decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the plan, which his administration had previously supported.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said relinquishing the remote Indian Ocean archipelago—home to a strategically important American naval and bomber base—was an act of stupidity that shows why he needs to take over Greenland. He 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 U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” and added, “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”
He went on to say, “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.” In the same post, Trump linked the controversy to his push over Greenland.
The blast from Trump came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to calm tensions over Greenland and patch up a frayed trans-Atlantic relationship. On Monday, Starmer called Trump’s statements about taking over Greenland “completely wrong,” and said the rift should be “resolved through calm discussion.”
British officials said Tuesday that despite Trump’s post, they believe the U.S. still supports the Chagos deal. Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden said a flurry of social media posts from Trump criticizing world leaders showed the president “is frustrated right now,” adding, “I don’t really believe this is about Chagos. I think it’s about Greenland.”
The U.K. and Mauritius signed the sovereignty agreement in May, following two centuries under British control. The deal gives Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, while the U.K. will pay Mauritius at least 120 million pounds ($160 million) a year to lease back the island of Diego Garcia for at least 99 years.
The U.S. government welcomed the agreement when it was announced, saying it “secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint U.S.-U.K. military facility at Diego Garcia.” In Britain, officials have argued the arrangement is needed to protect the base from international legal challenge, after the United Nations and its top court urged Britain to return the islands to Mauritius.
A government spokesperson said Tuesday that “the U.K. will never compromise on our national security,” and said the deal “secures the operations of the joint U.S.-U.K. base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.”
The deal has faced strong opposition in Britain, with some parties warning that giving up the islands would put them at risk of interference by China and Russia. Islanders displaced from the Chagos said they were not consulted and worry the arrangement will make it harder for them to go home.
Parliamentary progress has also continued despite the criticism. Legislation to approve the agreement has passed the House of Commons, and the House of Lords approved it while passing a “motion of regret.” It was due back in the Commons on Tuesday for further debate.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Starmer’s Labour government over the agreement, saying in an X post that Trump is right and that Starmer’s “plan to give away the Chagos Islands is a terrible policy that weakens UK security and hands away our sovereign territory.” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, an ally of Trump, wrote: “Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.”
The Diego Garcia base is home to about 2,500 mostly American personnel, and the U.S. described it as “an all but indispensable platform” for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa. The Chagos Islands have been under British control since 1814, when they were ceded by France. Britain split the islands away from Mauritius in 1965 and evicted as many as 2,000 people so the U.S. military could build the Diego Garcia base.
An estimated 10,000 displaced Chagossians and their descendants now live primarily in Britain, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Under the U.K.-Mauritius deal, a resettlement fund is to be created for displaced islanders to help them move back to the islands—apart from Diego Garcia.