Argentine President Javier Milei sparks diplomatic row with UK after declaring Falkland Islands is theirs in live address to his people

Argentine President Javier Milei has renewed his country’s claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and announced plans for tougher economic and diplomatic measures targeting activities conducted there without Buenos Aires’ approval.

Speaking in a national address on Thursday, September 3, Milei described the islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, as Argentine territory and said his government had an obligation to pursue the country’s longstanding sovereignty claim. “We are going to review what is happening on the international stage; yesterday something very significant took place regarding the most important and sacred cause we Argentines have,” Milei told El Observador radio.

“The Falklands are Argentinean. Historically and legally. There can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory,” he said. Britain administers the Falkland Islands as a British Overseas Territory, while Argentina maintains a competing sovereignty claim. The islanders have consistently expressed a preference to remain under British sovereignty.

Milei rejected arguments based on the islanders’ right to determine their political status, saying: “The islanders on their usurped territory do not have a legitimate right to self-determination and any argument on any such self-determination is invalid.”

The Argentine president also focused on the Sea Lion oilfield, an offshore project involving British and Israeli interests where production is expected to begin in 2028. Milei described the project as a “clear and present danger” to Argentina’s strategic interests.

“If we do not act swiftly in a few months, they will have the material capacity to access the oil that lies underneath our sea. Something that has never happened before,” he said. He added that other projects and companies operating around the islands also represented what he considered threats to Argentine interests.

“This means that today, our national cause faces a clear and urgent danger that demands a proportional response. We are not going to allow it,” Milei said. The president announced that he was signing a decree intended to accelerate sanctions procedures linked to commercial activity in waters and territories claimed by Argentina.

“Tonight I am signing a decree to grant greater swiftness to sanctioning procedures regarding Argentine territory under British occupation,” he said. Milei also warned companies operating around the Falklands without authorisation from Buenos Aires that they could face consequences when seeking to do business in Argentina.

“Those who operate on our islands behind the back of the Argentine government will have to choose between an illegal bet in a disputed territory and a profitable, secure operation in a sovereign country with clear rules and predictability. You cannot do both,” he said.

He further said his administration would seek congressional approval for additional powers allowing the government to use economic and diplomatic measures against state and non-state actors it considers threats to Argentina’s national security.

“We must act today with an eye on the future, and Malvinas is the future—it is not merely a matter of our past. Defending our sovereignty and recovering our islands requires being a politically relevant, economically influential, and militarily respectable nation,” Milei said.

The remarks followed comments by US President Donald Trump about Washington’s position on the sovereignty dispute. Asked recently about US support for Britain’s position on the Falklands, Trump told reporters: “I always review every position – that’s just one of many.”

Milei subsequently appealed to countries he considers Argentina’s allies, including the United States, to support Buenos Aires over the dispute. “We ask those who are friends of Argentina not to look the other way when our sovereignty is violated and our resources are taken,” he said.

“As a nation, we have two paths ahead of us: either we become a great nation capable of truly defending our sovereignty, or we persist on a path of decay that will inevitably lead us to subjugation. I invite you to choose the first path.” Milei concluded that section of his address by echoing Trump’s political slogan, saying: “Let us make Argentina great again.”

Argentina and Britain have disputed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands for generations. The dispute culminated in the 1982 Falklands War after Argentine forces invaded the islands. The 74-day conflict ended with Argentina’s surrender and the restoration of British administration.

The British government has continued to state that its commitment to the islands remains unchanged. At the weekend, a government spokesperson described Britain’s commitment to maintaining the Falklands as a British Overseas Territory as “long-standing and unwavering”.

The spokesperson added: “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.”

Recent reports have also suggested that Washington could reconsider aspects of its position on the dispute amid wider disagreements with Britain over defence spending and foreign policy, although those claims have been attributed to unnamed officials and leaked communications rather than a formal change in US policy.