Argentina's president Javier Milei makes big threat over Falkland Islands as Trump issues new ultimatum to UK
Argentina's President Javier Milei issued a televised address to the nation late on Thursday over the Falkland Island after Donald Trump suggested he wouldn't help the UK if the territory were invaded.
The Falkland Islands have been an overseas British territory since 1883, though the two nations went to war over the region in 1982.
Argentina have long claimed the Falkland Islands, or the Las Malvinas, as the South American country refers to them as, and Milei has now addressed the matter following comments made by President Trump.
Speaking to the nation, President Milei said: "I want to be quite clear with everybody. The Falklands are Argentinean. Historically and legally.
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"There can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory.
“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.”
Argentina's president went on to say that the UK was facing "multiple crises of a migratory, demographic and economic nature that are unlikely to be resolved. It is clear that they are on a path of decline. Argentina’s future, however, is flourishing and will prevail."
Milei continued by saying that his government is working on a plan to sanction oil firms working within the region.
"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.
It comes after President Trump suggested he wouldn't come to Britain's aid if Argentina launched another invasion of the Falkland Islands.
Trump was asked by GB news if he would support the UK in the event of fighting breaking out over the islands again.
But due to the UK's decision not to provide military assistance for the conflict in Iran, Trump said: "Your country was not there to help me."
"I was there when they had the first war; that was a long time ago,. you comported yourself very well, took it back very shortly. But it is a long way away," the president added.
Trump then went on to question whether the UK has the military to complete such a feat today.
He added: "But the Falklands is very interesting because your country is not the same country it was 20 years ago, 25 years ago. It was a long time ago.
"And you went there and you just took it back very quickly and there was no games. So I don't know if you're prepared to do that. I just don't know if you have the capacity to do that.”
Topics: Donald Trump, World News, UK News
Callum Jones