President Javier Millay has recently strengthened Argentina’s claims to the British-controlled Falkland Islands, but close ties with US President Donald Trump and rising tensions with Britain have focused attention on the future of the disputed territory.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Miley have met several times. The Argentine leader regularly participates in conservative pro-Trump political rallies in the United States. President Trump previously described Milley, the far-right populist leader of the Freedom Forward Party, as his “favorite president.”
The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas, have long been a source of tension between London and Buenos Aires, but relations have been largely calm in recent days.
But in recent days, there have been reports that the Pentagon is proposing a review of America’s historic neutrality over the Falklands War, as relations between Washington and London plummet over President Trump’s criticism of Britain’s war on Iran.
Could Milley’s relationship with Trump, and the US president’s anger towards Britain, change the situation?
What is the dispute over the Falkland Islands?
These islands are a self-governing British overseas territory in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. It is an archipelago consisting of two main islands: East Falkland Island and West Falkland Island.
These islands are approximately 13,000 km (8,000 miles) from mainland Britain and have a population of only approximately 3,200 people. Approximately 1 million penguins nest on the island each summer.
Argentina claims sovereignty over the islands, claiming it inherited them from the Spanish Crown in the 19th century.
However, in 1690, Englishman John Strong landed in the territory and named it after his patron, Viscount Falkland.
Since then, Britain, Argentina, France and Spain have established settlements on the island.
Britain has administered the islands since 1833, and its claims are based on a long-established British presence there and the islanders’ own distinctly pro-British preferences. In 2013, the Falkland Islands held a referendum in which 1,513 out of 1,517 people voted in favor of remaining in the UK.
However, Argentines see Britain as a colonizing force in the region.
In April 1982, the conflict between Argentina and Britain reached a boiling point.
Argentina occupied these islands in an attempt to control the archipelago. In response, then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sent military troops to retake the territory, beginning a 74-day battle. Ironically, Millais has long cited fellow conservative politician Thatcher as her political role model.
In the end, Britain won the war, killing 655 Argentine and 255 British soldiers.
What did Millay say recently?
While Mr Millais’ largely left-wing predecessors routinely reaffirmed Argentina’s claims to the Falkland Islands, Mr Millais, who has called for strong negotiations with Britain, initially drew criticism from opponents for not taking a firm enough stance on the issue.
In a 2024 interview with the BBC, Millais criticized politicians who “puff their chests” about sovereignty without achieving results.
But in an interview with a streaming platform last week, he insisted Argentina was making “more progress than ever” on the Falklands issue.
His comments come at a time when Millais’ popularity in the country is declining. According to the AS/COA (Council of the American Associations/Council of the Americas) endorsement tracker, 61 percent of Argentines do not support Millay. This is the lowest approval rating since he took office in December 2023.
Why is this important?
Millais’s latest comments come against the backdrop of a new wave of tensions across the Atlantic.
President Trump has continued to publicly criticize British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his stance on the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran, accusing him of not supporting the U.S. in its fight against Tehran and of not cooperating with the U.S. reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Days after the war began, and after Mr Starmer initially refused to allow US forces to use British military bases to attack Iran, President Trump described the British leader as “no Winston Churchill”.
Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the United States from Monday to Thursday. British Ambassador to the United States Christian Turner described the visit as an effort to “renew and reinvigorate the unique friendship” between the two allies.
What is the US position on the Falkland Islands?
The United States has traditionally avoided taking a position on the island’s sovereignty, although it acknowledges that it is under British administration.
But recent reports say the Pentagon has drafted a memo offering President Trump options for punishing allies deemed not to have been sufficiently helpful in the war against Iran. Proposals include suspending Spain, an outspoken critic of the war, from NATO and reviewing the US position on the Falkland Islands.
Forty years ago, the United States played a key role in supporting Britain during the Falklands War. At first it tried to mediate between Argentina and Britain. When negotiations failed, Britain increasingly provided information, including satellite images, for military operations.
The United States also granted Britain access to military facilities and supplied Britain with millions of gallons of aviation fuel, missiles, and other military equipment.
Almost 44 years ago, on April 30, 1982, the United States also imposed sanctions on Argentina.
Currently, such support is less certain if tensions arise between the UK and Argentina, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week sought to downplay suggestions that the US might change its position on the status of the islands.
Could Millais use her relationship with Trump to claim the Falkland Islands?
Experts say that despite the good relationship between Mr Trump and Mr Millais, a resolution to the Falklands conflict remains dependent on persuasion from Britain.
Benjamin Guedan, director of the Latin America Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., told Al Jazeera: “Resolving this long-standing conflict will always require negotiation, and that means convincing the British rather than the Americans.”
Gedan explained that Trump was a “huge fan” of Milley and helped him at important moments.
The Trump administration has expanded a $20 billion currency swap facility to stabilize the peso in the run-up to Argentina’s crucial 2025 parliamentary elections.
“In this case, however, the hint of a change in US neutrality in the dispute over the Falkland Islands was clearly intended to embarrass the British Prime Minister,” Gedan added.
