UK reopens Chagos Islands talks with US following Trump criticism of deal: reports

Talks betwixt the U.K. and the U.S. implicit the aboriginal of the Chagos Islands successful the Indian Ocean person reportedly reopened aft President Donald Trump’s comments formed uncertainty implicit an statement that would spot Britain manus sovereignty of the strategically captious archipelago to Mauritius.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed Wednesday that the U.K. had reopened discussions aft the president had panned the woody and branded it an "act of large stupidity," GB News reported.

"Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is presently readying to springiness distant the Island of Diego Garcia, the tract of a captious U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to bash truthful FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER," Trump had posted connected Truth Social. "There is nary uncertainty that China and Russia person noticed this enactment of full weakness."

He added: "The UK giving distant highly important onshore is an enactment of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is different successful a precise agelong enactment of National Security reasons wherefore Greenland has to beryllium acquired."

TRUMP WARNS US CAN NO LONGER THINK ‘PURELY OF PEACE’ AS HE PUSHES FOR GREENLAND CONTROL

Diego Garcia, the largest land successful the Chagos archipelago and tract of a large United States subject basal successful the mediate of the Indian Ocean, was leased from the UK successful 1966. (Reuters)

The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius during Britain’s decolonization process, a determination the International Court of Justice ruled unlawful successful 2019. 

The U.K. aboriginal agreed to transportation sovereignty portion leasing Diego Garcia backmost for astatine slightest 99 years astatine a outgo of astatine slightest $160 cardinal annually.

Diego Garcia is simply a hub for long-range bombers, logistics and powerfulness projection crossed the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and Africa. 

Around 2,500 subject and civilian personnel, mostly American, are stationed there. The basal serves arsenic a captious cognition constituent for the U.S. and plays a cardinal relation successful quality gathering and securing subject communications.

Speaking aboard a formation to China, Starmer said helium had "discussed Chagos with Donald Trump a fig of times," but declined to corroborate whether the contented had been raised during a telephone telephone betwixt the 2 leaders connected Sunday, The Financial Times reported.

TRUMP’S ‘SMALL ASK’ FOR GREENLAND WOULD BE THE REAL ESTATE DEAL OF A LIFETIME

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says helium "discussed Chagos with [President] Donald Trump a fig of times."  (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Starmer besides said the substance "has been raised with the White House astatine the process extremity of past week, implicit the play and into the aboriginal portion of this week."

Starmer besides added that erstwhile the Trump medication took office, the U.K. paused the statement for 3 months to let the U.S. clip to measure the woody astatine the bureau level.

"Once they’d done that, they were precise wide successful the pronouncements astir the information that they supported the deal, and determination were announcements made," helium said.

A Downing Street spokesperson besides confirmed London was moving to "allay immoderate concerns" successful Washington, according to GB News.

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"We volition proceed to prosecute with the U.S. connected this important substance and the value of the woody to unafraid U.S. and U.K. interests and allay immoderate concerns, arsenic we’ve done passim the process," the spokesperson said.

Trump’s comments connected the Chagos woody had been welcomed by Reform UK person Nigel Farage, who wrote connected X: "Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands."

Fox News Digital has reached retired to the White House and Downing Street for comment.