Trump says he could settle UK-Argentina dispute over Malvinas

US President Donald Trump said he could settle the dispute between Argentina and the UK over the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands if asked and appeared to cast doubt on whether the British government would be able to deploy resources to protect the territory if needed.

Trump on Saturday was asked about a recent phone call with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and whether the islands had been a topic of discussion.

“I’m sure I’ll be called into that potential disaster,” Trump said, during a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin, part of a two-day visit to Ireland. “But if they do, I’ll probably be able to settle it out. But right now, you have two countries that are not happy concerning the Falklands.”

Trump in his remarks also questioned whether the United Kingdom, which he has long assailed over its immigration and energy policies, would be able to deal with any issues that arose over the islands. 

“The Falkland Islands, and I think it was a different country at that time, the UK a little bit, but they went in and they took it over. I’m not sure they’re doing that – they have a little problem with immigration. They have a little problem with energy, and they have some other problems they have to take care of,” Trump said. 

“I don’t know if they’re going to be willing to travel that far. That is very far away. You’re talking about you’re talking about weeks by boat. So I don’t know,” he added.

The long-running dispute over the South Atlantic island chain has intensified in recent weeks after Argentina's President Javier Milei renewed efforts to press his country’s claims to the territory. Milei has threatened new sanctions on oil companies working in the region in a bid to assert a claim to the islands, known in Argentina as the Las Malvinas. 

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband reaffirmed British control over the islands earlier this month, saying the UK’s position is “unwavering.”

Trump has previously suggested the US could divert from its historically neutral position on the sovereignty of the territory and, in an interview with GB News, hinted he would not come to the UK’s aid in the event of any conflict. Trump has lashed out at the UK for not giving the US access to bases to launch attacks on Iran at the start of the Middle East war.

Milei, by contrast, has enjoyed warm ties with Trump, whose populist policies have been championed by the US president and allies.