Fears of the UK losing its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands have been reignited by reports that America forced Britain into accepting a deal to arm Argentina with F-16 fighter jets. Foreign Office officials were told “in no uncertain terms” to allow the US to deliver the combat aircraft from Denmark to Buenos Aires late last year, reports suggest. The UK has a long-standing policy restricting arms imports to Argentina because of competing sovereignty claims over the archipelago.
While the F-16 deal was not in breach of the weapons ban, British officials were ordered not to oppose it by the US administration, according to The Telegraph. One source said: “There were meetings in the UK and Britain was told in no uncertain terms that this is how the deal would be.” Another suggested the US viewed the transfer of Western weapons as crucial to countering Argentina’s “flirtations with China and Russia”.
Argentinian president Javier Milei described the jets as his country’s “guardian angels” after they arrived in December, as part of the deal initially agreed in 2024 under Joe Biden.
While previous US administrations have not taken a formal position on the archipelago’s sovereignty, they have recognised the UK’s long-held administrative role.
It was suggested on Friday that Donald Trump could review the US position on the UK’s claims to the Falkland Islands, however, in retaliation for Sir Keir Starmer’s lack of support for the war in Iran.
An internal Pentagon email setting out options to punish NATO allies for refusing to join the US-Israeli strikes against Iran included the proposed reassessment of US diplomatic support for “imperial possessions” such as the island group, as per Reuters.
Downing Street insisted the sovereignty of the archipelago was “not in question” but the row exposed the growing gulf between the UK and and the UK, while Mr Milei remains a staunch Trump ally, becoming the first world leader to meet him after his second electoral victory.
Argentina has long claimed sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, which have been under British rule since 1833, and invaded them in 1982 before being defeated in a short but bloody war.
A Number 10 spokesperson said: “The Falkland Islands have previously voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory, and we’ve always stood behind the islanders’ rights to self-determination and the fact that sovereignty rests with the UK.
“The question of the Falkland Islands and the UK’s sovereignty and the islanders’ rights to self-determination is not in question, and we’ve expressed that position clearly and consistently.”
The Falkland Islands government said it had “complete confidence in the commitment made by the UK Government to uphold and defend our right of self-determination”.
