Donald Trump has played down his criticism of the UK’s plan to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, saying the deal was the “best” Keir Starmer could do.
The US president described the surrender of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the Diego Garcia military base, as an “act of great folly” just last month. He also claimed that the agreement was one of several “national security reasons” why the US should acquire Greenland.
Under the agreement, Britain would cede control of the islands to Mauritius but lease the largest, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there.
Trump endorsed the handover when Starmer visited the White House last year.
But posting on Truth Social last month, Trump wrote: “There is no doubt that China and Russia perceive this act of absolute weakness.
“The UK giving away so much important land is an act of HUGE STUPIDITY, and another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland should be taken.”
But after a “very productive” phone call with Starmer on Thursday, Trump appeared to backtrack to a position of approval for the deal.
The US president wrote in Truth Social that Diego Garcia “is strategically located in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, is very important to the National Security of the United States”.
He added that US military operations were successful last year “because of the strength of our fighters, the modern capabilities of our equipment and, most importantly, the strategic location of our Military Bases.
“I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made is, according to many, the best he can do.”
But Trump added: “If the lease agreement, sometime in the future, is broken, or anyone threatens or endangers US operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right of the Military to ensure and strengthen the American presence in Diego Garcia.
“Let it be known that I will not allow our presence at a Base as important as this to be undermined or threatened by false claims or nonsense of that nature.”
After Starmer and Trump’s phone call, a Downing Street spokesman said they “agreed on the importance of the deal to secure the joint UK-US base in Diego Garcia, which remains vital to shared security interests”.
The pair also agreed that “the UK and US will continue to work closely on the implementation of the deal”, the spokesman said.
The Conservative party and Reform UK are highly critical of the Chagos Islands deal. Responding to Trump’s announcement, Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “The president’s statement today recognizes a critical weakness in the surrender agreement – the lease could be broken, leaving our national security and our allies in greater doubt. The agreement is clearly a threat to our national security and a major strategic mistake.
“The view of the Conservative party has not changed. We are leading the fight against this terrible capitulation and we will continue to fight it to the end.”
Trump’s change comes after he softened his plan to take control of Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous territory belonging to Denmark, a member of Nato.
After talks with Nato’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum last month, Trump announced that a “framework for a future deal” with Greenland had been reached after weeks of escalating threats.