Donald Trump has said the US is now reviewing its position on the Falkland Islands.
The archipelago in the South Atlantic has been a British Overseas Territory for over 193 years.
Despite Britain defending the Falkland Islands from an invading Argentina and forcing the country to surrender in just 74 days in 1982, the President has now said he would examine the issue.
“I always review every position. That’s just one of many,” he told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
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Chancellor John Healey told The Times he had not heard any suggestions from US counterparts or officials.
“The Falkland Islands are British. The Falkland Islands will remain British as long as the Falkland Islands want that to happen,” he added.
Donald Trump’s answer follows reports the US was considering challenging the archipelago’s sovereignty if Andy Burnham fails to increase defence spending.
Pressing the importance of Washington’s plans for Canada and European countries to take responsibility of defending the continent, a senior US official said Britain was likely to receive “special attention”.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Defence Investment Plan (Dip) was a “step in the right direction” – but not a big enough step, the official added.
“I would expect the UK to receive special attention because it has so much potential,” he said.
“We will therefore continue efforts to incentivise and enable the UK to step up in a major way.”
When asked if the US could change position on the Falklands, the official said: “I can say that they [conversations] are candid and nothing is being ruled out as far as options for encouraging the sort of burden-sharing that we seek.”
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This is not the first time the Falkland Islands – which reaffirmed its sovereignty in a 2013 referendum where 99.8 per cent of islanders voted in favour of remaining British – has been examined by Washington.
A leaked Pentagon memo, seen by Reuters in April, suggested the US could endorse Argentina’s claim to the islands to punish Nato allies for failing to adequately support in the Iran war.
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio would later downplay the memo, describing it as “just an email” which received an “overexcited” reaction.
Argentina’s President and ally of Mr Trump Javier Milei has long said the archipelago – called “Las Malvinas” in the country – “were, are and will always be Argentine” at the time.
Another with connections to a US ally came out in favour of Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands on August 28.
Yair Netanyahu, a podcast host and son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on social media: “The Falkland Islands belong to Argentina!”
The Foreign Office said the British position on the islands was “long-standing and unwavering”, adding: “They are and will remain a British Overseas Territory in line with the wishes of the Falkland islanders.
“The UK is playing a central role in Nato and strengthening collective defence across Europe.
“We are Nato’s third-largest cash spender on defence and the only European Nato member to commit our nuclear deterrent to the alliance.”
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