Trump Slams UK’s Chagos Islands Deal as “Great Stupidity,” Citing National Security
US president links criticism to Greenland ambitions as Britain prepares to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — US President Donald Trump on Tuesday sharply criticized the United Kingdom over its decision to hand the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, calling the agreement an act of “great stupidity” and invoking national security concerns to justify his renewed push to acquire Greenland.
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The remarks represent a notable reversal for Trump, who had previously endorsed the UK–Mauritius agreement. His comments now place the Chagos deal within a broader narrative he has advanced in recent months, arguing that Western allies have weakened their strategic positions by relinquishing territory of military importance.
Under the agreement, Britain will return sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, its former colony, while continuing to lease Diego Garcia—the largest island in the chain and the site of a strategically vital joint US-UK military base.
The base has long been central to American and British military operations in the Middle East, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific, serving as a hub for air and naval deployments.
Britain retained control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the late 1960s, separating the archipelago from the rest of the colony prior to independence.
In the process, thousands of Chagossians were forcibly removed from their homes to make way for the military facility on Diego Garcia, a displacement that has remained a source of controversy and legal challenge for decades.
Chagos islanders and their descendants have pursued multiple cases in British courts seeking the right of return and compensation, while the issue has also drawn sustained international scrutiny.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion concluding that Britain’s continued administration of the islands was unlawful and recommending that London end its control of the archipelago “as rapidly as possible.”
The United Nations General Assembly subsequently backed that position, increasing diplomatic pressure on the UK to resolve the dispute.
Successive British governments have defended the strategic necessity of Diego Garcia while gradually moving toward a negotiated settlement with Mauritius. Supporters of the deal argue that leasing arrangements will preserve military operations while addressing a long-standing colonial grievance and aligning Britain with international legal norms.
Trump’s intervention adds a new political dimension to the issue, linking it to his broader worldview on geopolitics and territorial control.
His reference to Greenland—a Danish autonomous territory he has repeatedly said the United States should acquire—underscores his belief that strategic land holdings are central to national security in an era of renewed great-power competition.
While London has yet to respond directly to Trump’s latest comments, the episode highlights growing transatlantic strains over how historical disputes, international law, and modern security priorities should be balanced.
As Britain moves forward with the Chagos transfer and Washington reassesses its stance, the future of one of the world’s most strategically significant island chains remains closely watched.