Chagos deal wasn’t such a “great stupidity” after all, admits Trump
“If sometime in the future the deal ever falls apart, I retain the right to militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia,” Trump said
Relief in UK as Donald Trump back stepped and ended supporting the Labor government’s Chagos islands deal with Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, including the joint US/UK Diego Garcia base, when only a couple of weeks ago the US president described the whole issue as a “Great Stupidity”.
Trump wrote on his info media site Truth Social that he now understands it’s the best deal Britain was able to get after he had “very productive discussions” with Prime Minister Keir Starmer — though he warned he wouldn’t hesitate to get involved if he felt U.S. interests were at risk.
“If the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia,” the president added.
This however has not impeded Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and the Conservatives’ Kemi Badenoch to openly oppose the Chagos deal, for which they also lobbied the White House to condemn the deal, and warning that Mauritius was warming to China.
The deal with Mauritius is expected to cost UK some £120 million annually for the duration of the accord.
UK government officials, speaking under condition of anonymity to avoid further fraying diplomatic relations, had ascribed Trump’s January criticism of the Chagos deal to Starmer’s public defense of Greenland from US threats to seize the Danish territory.
Allegedly PM Starmer ironed the agreement with Trump in a couple of calls.
Downing Street’s account of the call said the leaders had “agreed on the importance of the deal to secure the joint U.K.–U.S. base on Diego Garcia, which remains vital to shared security interests.”
The leaders also agreed that both sides would “continue to work closely on the implementation of the deal,” the statement added.
