Trump Warns UK Not to Hand Diego Garcia to Mauritius

The conversation around the Chagos Islands has taken a fresh twist as President Donald Trump publicly urged the UK not to hand over Diego Garcia to Mauritius, even as Washington signaled support for London’s sovereignty deal. In a social media post, Trump argued that the land should not be taken from the UK and warned that a transfer would be “a blight on our Great Ally.” He stressed the strategic importance of Diego Garcia, a key joint military base in the Indian Ocean, and criticized the proposed arrangement as a mistake in long-term alliance planning.

The UK government has argued that the deal—announced last May—permits Britain to retain the base through a 99-year lease, while transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Officials say the agreement is essential to safeguarding the base’s continued operation and, by extension, the security of the UK and its allies. They have also noted that past legal questions from Mauritius over British sovereignty are being addressed within the framework of the agreement.

This stance contrasts with Trump’s stance, which comes ahead of planned talks between the United States and Mauritius next week. The U.S. appears to be backing London’s approach, even as the State Department’s alignment with the deal opens a new layer of diplomacy around a historically contentious issue. The UK Foreign Office has framed the deal as the only viable path to ensuring long-term access to the base, while maintaining that the agreement preserves essential defense capabilities for both nations.

Diego Garcia remains the archipelago’s largest island and a critical joint facility for UK and US forces. The evolving dialogue underscores the broader geopolitics at play in the region, where security considerations, sovereignty disputes, and strategic leverage intersect in real time.

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