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Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to retract his previous criticism of Britain’s plan to transfer ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, even as he said the US would retain the right to militarily secure Diego Garcia.
“I think the deal that Prime Minister (Sir Keir) Starmer has made is, in many people’s opinion, the best one,” the US president wrote on his Truth social platform. He had “very productive discussions” with his British counterpart.
The comments mark a change from last month, when Trump accused Britain of “big stupidity” and “weakness” over a deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including the joint US-UK military base of Diego Garcia, to Mauritius.
Trump said he was “against” Britain leasing and selling the islands and that London “should keep them.” “I don’t know why they’re doing it – do they need the money?” He said in January.
At the time he cited Britain’s plan as a reason for the US to secure Greenland, although he has since backed off his threats to seize the vast Arctic island by force.
In his Truth Social post Thursday about the Chagos Islands, Trump also said: “If ever in the future the lease agreement is broken, or someone threatens or endangers American operations and forces at our base, I reserve the right to militarily secure and strengthen the American presence in Diego Garcia.”
Diego Garcia is a key strategic atoll for the US military in the Indo-Pacific region, with a deep-water port that can accommodate the runways needed to launch warplanes such as aircraft carriers and stealth B-2 bombers. It is also important for surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Downing Street said on Thursday that Starmer and Trump “agreed the importance of the agreement to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which is vital to shared security interests”.
The leaders also agreed that the UK and US “will continue to work together on the implementation of the deal they have agreed”, a spokesman for Starmer said.
Britain’s agreement to transfer ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was praised by Washington early last year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration “welcomes the historic agreement” on 2025.
London and Washington resumed discussions about the deal last month after Trump opposed Britain’s plan and shut down Downing Street.
Starmer claimed last month that Trump’s sudden rejection of the deal was “for the express purpose of exerting pressure” on Britain over the future of Greenland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Dame Emily Thornberry, Labor chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, said, “It seems that (Trump) is whipping up a storm of bluster to hide the fact that he is backtracking on his recent opposition to the deal”.
The Conservatives have slammed the Chagos Islands deal as an “absolutely terrible deal for Britain” and warned on Thursday they would continue to fight it in Parliament.
Dame Priti Patel, the Tory shadow foreign secretary, said “the lease could be broken, putting our national security and that of our allies in even greater doubt”.
Robert Midgley, a spokesman for the Friends of the British Overseas Territories, who led a delegation to Washington in protest of the agreement last week, said of Trump’s intervention: “The statement he issued is more threatening than supportive – the language he uses does not agree with the agreement. It looks like the US will ultimately take full ownership.”
Additional reporting by Robert Wright in London
