Washington: U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday sharply criticised the United Kingdom over its plans to transfer Diego Garcia, home to a critical U.S. military base, to Mauritius, warning that the move reflected strategic weakness and posed serious national security risks.
In a statement posted on his official social media account, Trump said Britain was acting irresponsibly by considering the handover of the strategically located island.
“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” he wrote.
Trump argued that such a move would not go unnoticed by U.S. adversaries. “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness,” he said, referring to China and Russia. He added that these countries “only recognise STRENGTH.”
The president used the issue to underscore his broader argument about American leadership on the world stage. “Which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before,” Trump said.
He went on to sharply criticise the United Kingdom’s approach, calling the potential transfer of Diego Garcia “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY.” Trump said the decision reinforced his long-standing view that the United States must act decisively to secure strategic territory vital to its national security interests.
Linking the issue to his controversial position on Arctic geopolitics, Trump said the situation added to his case for U.S. expansion elsewhere. He described the move as “another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired,” again raising the idea of U.S. control over Greenland.
Trump also issued a direct appeal to European allies, naming Denmark in particular. “Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING,” he said, closing his statement with, “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Diego Garcia, located in the Indian Ocean, hosts a major joint U.S.–UK military installation that has played a central role in American operations across the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific region for decades. The base is widely regarded as one of Washington’s most strategically important overseas military assets.
The island is part of the Chagos Archipelago, which Britain detached from Mauritius before granting it independence in the late 1960s. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion finding the UK’s continued administration of the territory unlawful and calling for its return to Mauritius.
(IANS)
