Javier Milei has called for Britain to cede the Falkland Islands to Argentina in a Hong Kong-style deal.
The publishing of the remarks followed his rare address to the nation which outlined a series of sanctions against a British-Israeli oil drilling operation, the establishment of a military base on Tierra del Fuego and the creation of a National Security Council.
He also declared the Falkland Islands to be Argentinian, referring to them as the Malvinas and saying the islanders do “not have a legitimate right to self-determination”.
In 2013, islanders were jubilant after a referendum reaffirmed their Britishness – only three people voted to no longer be a territory.
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The President of Argentina said he hopes to find a “consensus solution” to the issue of sovereignty.
He told The Economist: “In the long term we can get our islands back.
“The UK did this with Hong Kong, so why not find the agreement so that sooner or later the islands return to Argentina? They’re ours.”
Mr Milei’s interview with the magazine was held before his televised address, but published after.
In it, he says Argentinians were not “yelling like savages” and did not intend for there to be another war – the country lost its 1982 invasion in just 74 days.
He said: “You can define those territories as belonging to Argentina. But we do not believe in war.”
It was a more conciliatory tone than his televised address, where he accused the UK of having “systematically violated” the islands by exploiting their resources.
Under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, the UK ceded Hong Kong to China while retaining its own political system for 50 years.
But Hong Kong residents were not given a say in the decision, and Britain has considered China in a “state of ongoing non-compliance” with the agreement as Beijing cracks down on civil liberties.
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Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, responding after his address, said the islanders’ self-determination should be respected.
“The UK’s position on the Falkland Islands is unwavering,” he said. “The Islands are British and will remain so because that is the overwhelming position of the Islanders.”
“Their right of self-determination is paramount, grounded in international law and we will resolutely uphold it.”
Reform UK’s economic spokesman Robert Jenrick, during their party conference, slammed Labour for the escalation.
“The Argentinians have taken one look at Burnham and Streeting and worked out that they’re a pair of simps, too weak to defend our Islands,” he said.
“What are they going to do? Flutter their eyelashes at Milei?”
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the outburst from the President of Argentina was a signal of domestic problems.
Mr Milei confirmed he was seeking re-election in October 2027, but he combats poor polling and dissatisfaction within his electorate – over 50 per cent of Argentinians would prefer a new President.
He may also face a challenge from his own Vice President, Victoria Villarruel, the daughter of a Falklands War veteran who called Britons “usurping pirates” and has been publicly accused by Mr Milei of being a “coup plotter”.
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