Amid Trump’s aggressive push to seize Greenland, the U.S. President has criticized the UK for “great stupidity” in handing over the “strategic” Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
“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.
“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.
“Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING, Trump posted on Truth Social.
Hitting back at Washington, London said its deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “secures” the future of a key US-UK military base on the Indian Ocean archipelago.
“This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out,” London said.
“It has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia, and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as global players including India, Japan, and South Korea,” a government spokesperson added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier stated in May (last year) that Washington “welcomes the historic agreement”.
“The Trump Administration determined that this agreement secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia,” Rubio said in a statement at the time.
Chagos Islands
The Chagos Islands are a remote group of over 60 small islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, about 1,600 kilometers from Mauritius. The biggest island is Diego Garcia, which has been home to a major joint UK-US military base since the 1970s.
Back in the 1960s, when Mauritius was still a British colony, the UK decided to separate the Chagos Islands from Mauritius. In 1965, Britain created the British Indian Ocean Territory and kept control of the Chagos Islands.
Mauritius gained independence in 1968, but without the Chagos Islands. The UK did this mainly to allow the United States to build a military base on Diego Garcia.
To make the islands “uninhabited,” British officials forced out the entire local population, nearly 2,000 people known as the Chagossians. These were mostly descendants of enslaved Africans and workers from India and Madagascar who had lived on the islands for generations.
Between 1968 and 1973, the Chagossians were rounded up, put on ships, and sent to Mauritius or the Seychelles. Many lost everything, faced poverty, and were never properly compensated.
This expulsion has been called a serious injustice and even a crime against humanity by some human rights groups. For decades, Mauritius fought back legally and diplomatically, arguing that the Chagos Islands should have remained part of its territory.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued a strong advisory opinion. It said the UK’s 1965 separation of the islands was illegal because it violated the right of peoples to decide their own future.
The court said Britain should end its control over the Chagos Islands as quickly as possible and hand them back to Mauritius. Later that year, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to support the ICJ’s opinion.
It demanded that the UK withdraw from the islands within six months. The UK initially refused, saying the opinion wasn’t legally binding and that the base was too important for security.
After years of talks, the situation changed. In October 2024, the UK agreed in principle to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius. Then, on May 22, 2025, the two countries signed a formal agreement.
Under the deal:
- Mauritius gains full sovereignty over the entire Chagos Archipelago.
- The UK (and US) keep full control of the military base on Diego Garcia through a 99-year lease (with a possible 40-year extension).
- Britain will pay Mauritius about £101 million (around $136 million) per year.
- There’s also money set aside to help the displaced Chagossians, including a trust fund and support for resettlement on the other islands (but not Diego Garcia).
Earlier, despite support from the Trump administration, many US critics were apprehensive about the transfer, arguing that it could weaken Western influence in the region, potentially allowing China to gain a stronger foothold in the Indian Ocean.
Meanwhile, Trump has found support from the British Conservative Party.
Kemi Badenoch, UK Conservative Leader, has welcomed Donald Trump’s comments. She posted this on social media. Paying to surrender the Chagos Islands is not just an act of stupidity, but of complete self sabotage. I’ve been clear and unfortunately on this issue President Trump is right. Keir Starmer’s plan to give away the Chagos Islands is a terrible policy that weakens UK security and hands away our sovereign territory. And to top it off, makes us and our NATO allies weaker in face of our enemies. Last night I met Speaker Johnson and we are united in that view. Britain’s and America’s interests align. Keir Starmer has the chance to change course on Chagos. Conservatives call on President Trump to reconsider Greenland too.
Via: ET Desk and AFP
