President Trump slammed the United Kingdom for its move to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. One of the islands houses a key military base.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.”
He called the move “great stupidity.”
“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,” President Trump wrote. “Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
A U.K. government spokesperson said in a statement to The Telegraph that officials acted “because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it [from] operating as intended in [the] future.” The spokesperson argued that the deal “secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out” and has been supported by the Five Eyes allies, as well as other international partners.
The U.K. signed the agreement in May 2025. The agreement argues that the transfer understands the “importance of protecting international peace and security, including by ensuring the long-term, secure and effective operation of the Base on Diego Garcia.”
In 2024, then-U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy said the agreement aimed to preserve “international security.”
