Miliband says UK will ‘resolutely uphold’ self-determination of Falklands

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said the UK will “resolutely uphold” the self-determination of the Falkland Islands after Argentinian president Javier Milei said his country needed to take them back.In a national address, Mr Milei reiterated the country’s claim on the islands and said he would introduce sanctions on any oil companies working in the area.The renewed tensions over the British overseas territory came after US president Donald Trump hinted the US would not help the UK in a future Falklands conflict.Mr Miliband said in a post on X: “The UK’s position on the Falkland Islands is unwavering.“The Islands are British and will remain so because that is the overwhelming position of the Islanders.“Their right of self-determination is paramount, grounded in international law and we will resolutely uphold it.”Defence Secretary Wes Streeting earlier said the UK’s commitment to the Falklands was “absolute and unshakeable.”In a 2013 referendum, the Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% voting in favour and just three votes against.Although the US is formally neutral, Washington provided support for Britain’s campaign to retake the islands after the Argentinian invasion in 1982.It sparked the Falklands War which saw 255 British service deaths in just over 70 bloody days. It also led to the deaths of 655 Argentinians and three Falkland Islanders.In his speech, Mr Milei said: “Our role and relevance as a country in the world has changed dramatically.“The Falklands are our future – we need to recover these islands which are nationally relevant. There is no other path forward.”Read MoreHe said he would sign decrees to introduce sanctions against any companies working on oil production in the area.And he declared the Sea Lion oilfield, owned by an Israeli and a British firm where production is expected to begin in 2028, a “clear and present danger” to the country’s claims.“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.The Argentinian leader announced plans to boost its defence resources with a new naval base in Tierre del Fuego in the south of the country.Mr Milei said the US was “assessing their historical position in regard to the Falklands”.The US president on Thursday suggested he would not back the UK in a fight over the territory, pointing to the lack of support for his war in Iran.Asked in an interview if he would “come to the aid” of the UK, the US president told GB News: “Well look, I was there when they had the first war.“That was a long time ago and I watched it so carefully, and you comported yourselves very well.“You took it back pretty strongly, but it’s a long way away. That’s a big trip, it’s a long way.“So, your country’s not doing well. Don’t forget, you get a big percentage of your oil from the Strait of Hormuz, and you weren’t there to help me.“Your country was not there to help me. We didn’t need help, but I did ask Nato, and I asked your former leader: ‘Why didn’t you send a couple of ships?’“He said: ‘We don’t have any,’ and it was pretty sad, the whole thing. So Nato was not there, even though they get – most of those countries get – a big portion of their oil from there. So we’re doing that by ourselves.”Sarah Rogers, a senior official in the US state department, wrote on X that “exciting things are happening in the Western Hemisphere” alongside a photo of her and Mr Milei ahead of his speech.