UK responds Trump criticism, refuses compromise on national security

The UK government has officially responded following US President Donald Trump’s criticism of last year’s agreement to transfer Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to the island nation of Mauritius.

"The UK will never compromise on our national security," a government spokesperson said, adding that they acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined the UK’s position and would have prevented it from operating as intended in the future, Caliber.Az reports via British media.

Authorities added that the agreement ensures the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia will operate for generations. The deal received public approval from the US, Australia, other Five Eyes allies, and key international partners, including India, Japan, and South Korea.

Earlier, Trump criticised the UK for handing over the island to Mauritius, using it as an argument for why the US should own Greenland. 

He described the move as an act of “great stupidity” and a sign of total weakness, claiming that China and Russia had noticed it and that it contradicted how international powers recognise strength.

The United Kingdom and Mauritius signed an agreement in 2025 under which Britain agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago — including the strategically important Diego Garcia — to Mauritius, while ensuring that the joint US–UK military facility on Diego Garcia remains operational under a long‑term lease arrangement.

This transfer followed decades of legal and diplomatic pressure, including a 2019 International Court of Justice advisory opinion and UN General Assembly motions that found the UK’s continued administration of the islands after Mauritius’s independence was unlawful.

The deal obliges the UK to pay Mauritius roughly £101 million per year for at least 99 years for access to Diego Garcia, and gives Mauritius sovereignty while preserving the base’s role in regional and global security.

Displaced Chagossians, who were forcibly removed in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the base, have long campaigned for the right to return, but the current agreement does not guarantee their resettlement on Diego Garcia.

By Jeyhun Aghazada