UK PM Starmer Scorns Trump's Chagos Islands U-Turn, Blames Greenland Dispute Pressure
In a rare public rebuke, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused former US President Donald Trump of reneging on his support for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The dispute centers around the strategic island of Diego Garcia, which hosts a key US military base. Starmer says Trump's sudden change of heart is linked to pressure from the White House regarding its stance on Greenland.
The Chagos Islands were formerly a British territory with ties to their colonial past. A treaty between Britain and Mauritius was signed in May 2025, handing over sovereignty of Diego Garcia and other islands to the island nation. However, Trump recently described the deal as "an act of GREAT STUPIDITY" on his Truth Social platform.
Trump's remarks sparked criticism from Starmer, who said he had met with the former president at the White House in May 2025 and was assured of his support for the treaty. The UK government welcomed the US backing for the agreement at the time.
The Chagos Islands dispute highlights ongoing tensions between the US and European allies over Trump's moves to acquire control of Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally. Greenland holds strategic importance due to its Arctic location. The EU is considering retaliatory measures against the US if Trump proceeds with his threat of tariffs on European goods.
Starmer made it clear that he will not budge on his position regarding the future of Greenland. This stance reflects the UK's commitment to maintaining a strong relationship with Denmark and upholding the rules-based international order.
In a rare public rebuke, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused former US President Donald Trump of reneging on his support for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The dispute centers around the strategic island of Diego Garcia, which hosts a key US military base. Starmer says Trump's sudden change of heart is linked to pressure from the White House regarding its stance on Greenland.
The Chagos Islands were formerly a British territory with ties to their colonial past. A treaty between Britain and Mauritius was signed in May 2025, handing over sovereignty of Diego Garcia and other islands to the island nation. However, Trump recently described the deal as "an act of GREAT STUPIDITY" on his Truth Social platform.
Trump's remarks sparked criticism from Starmer, who said he had met with the former president at the White House in May 2025 and was assured of his support for the treaty. The UK government welcomed the US backing for the agreement at the time.
The Chagos Islands dispute highlights ongoing tensions between the US and European allies over Trump's moves to acquire control of Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally. Greenland holds strategic importance due to its Arctic location. The EU is considering retaliatory measures against the US if Trump proceeds with his threat of tariffs on European goods.
Starmer made it clear that he will not budge on his position regarding the future of Greenland. This stance reflects the UK's commitment to maintaining a strong relationship with Denmark and upholding the rules-based international order.
. starmer seems like a solid leader for once, standing firm on what's right despite trumps u-turns 
. this whole thing with the chagos islands and greenland just goes to show how much the us is trying to bully its allies and undermine global cooperation 
. EU needs to be careful tho, can't have trumps antics escalating into a trade war 
. we need more leaders like starmer who put people over politics 
.
i mean im all for the uk standing firm on its values and whatnot, but come on trump is just being his usual drama queen self 
anyway i think its pretty clear that the us gov is getting more into these geostrategic issues than they let on, and its got a lot of people in europe wondering if their allies are actually looking out for them 
i mean the eu needs to get on that retaliatory measure thing ASAP before trump ends up taking over greenland 
. First, it's the Chagos Islands, now Greenland... what's next? 
. I mean, if you're gonna make a promise, own up to it or don't make it at all, right? 
It's all so... complicated 
. The rules-based international order needs more people like him who are willing to stand up for what's right 
.
You'd be like "what's going on?!" 
the fact that the white house is tryin' 2 pressure him into agreein' with trump's views on greenland is pretty suspicious, if u ask me 
. It's all a bit confusing, to be honest. I mean, the UK and Europe are all about upholding the rules and being all civilized, while the US is like, "Hey, let's just do whatever we want"... 
I don't get why the EU is even making a big deal about Greenland 
. And let's be real, the EU isn't going to back down from a trade war over this. Trump might try to bully them into compliance, but I think he'll find that's not an effective strategy.
.