Falkland Island residents voted on their political status and self-determination in a referendum held in March 2013. An overwhelming 99.8% voted in favour of remaining a UK Overseas Territory.
Speaking during the address, Milei said that Falkland residents had no right to self-determination and called on the country to unite behind the claim to the archipelago.
“If we look at the structural crisis in the United Kingdom, it’s facing multiple crises on multiple fronts: migration, population, and a difficult economic situation. It’s clear that the future of Argentina is extremely promising, and Argentina will prevail,” he said.
Announcing the sanctions, Milei added: “Our national claim is facing a clear and present danger and requires a proportional response. We will not allow it. Argentina will not stand by facing such a situation. We will deploy all of our economic and diplomatic tools to dissuade the state and non-state actors who are violating our sovereignty.”
Reading from notes laid out on a gilded table, he also had some sharp words for the UK, describing it as a nation in decline.
“In the world, the winds are blowing favourably for our claim right now. Recently, President [Donald] Trump announced that the United States is re-evaluating its historic position regarding the Malvinas,” Milei said.
“Argentina is a country with natural resources, in a position of geographic strategic relevance that is not affected by uncontrolled immigration, the violence this brings, and the problems of national security that today stalks Europe.
“If we evaluate the structural conditions of the United Kingdom, however, they confront multiple crises of a migratory, demographic and economic character that will be difficult to solve. It is clear that they are in decline. However, Argentina is flourishing, and it will prevail.”
The Argentine leader also announced that the country would build a new military base in Tierra del Fuego as part of the country’s growing strategic alliance with Washington.
The move will appease the US President, who waded into the row this week, suggesting he would not help Britain fight an invasion of the Falklands.
When asked whether the US would “come to the aid” of Britain, Trump said: “Your country was not there to help me”, in reference to his war against Iran.
He went on to question whether Britain would have the capacity to defend the islands.
Trump 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.”
There is increasing speculation that Buenos Aires and Washington are discussing a deal to give the US access to oil drilled off the coast of the Falklands.
In the early hours of Friday morning, Milei hinted at a change in the United States’ position, which was first reported by the Telegraph.
“Over three years, we’ve established ties with like-minded countries where we have a convergence of interests, and we have confidence today that these same allies will stand by us as we make a peaceful, legitimate claim,” he said.
“On these islands, on our sovereignty. We cannot stand by while our resources are taken away and our sovereignty is disrespected.”
Milei added: “We have also received much support recently. President Trump declared that the United States are reassessing their historical position with regard to the Falklands, and that is not empty words because they understand that Argentina is a reliable partner aligned with Western values in a position of strategic value and a valuable ally for decades to come.”
Trump’s remarks have attracted particular attention because of his close relationship with Milei and the growing tensions between Washington and the British Government.
Milei described Trump’s comments this week as “something very significant” for what he called Argentina’s most important and “sacred” national cause.
London-listed company owns third of oil field
Rockhopper and Navitas plan to start drilling the Sea Lion offshore deposit north of the Falklands within months, potentially sending oil back to Europe and the UK from early 2028.
The oil field lies about 220km north of the islands and is expected to produce oil for more than 30 years.
In June, Argentina threatened Rockhopper over what it called “unlawful” plans to drill in Sea Lion. It now considers Rockhopper and Navitas to be “clandestine” – or illegal – companies.
The London-listed company owns 35% of the oil field, with the remainder owned by Navitas.
On the eve of Milei’s address, Daniel González Casartelli, Argentina’s secretary of energy and mining, was in Washington to discuss energy investment with American oil companies and members of the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, Milei met Sarah Rogers, a senior official in the US State Department, at a conservative political forum in Chile.
Repeating the Argentine claim to the islands, Milei said: “We need to recover these islands, which are nationally relevant. There is no other path forward. It is the best way of paying tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for this cause.”
The sanctions on Falklands oil could become a flashpoint between Burnham and Trump, who are expected to meet for the first time this month.
Asked about Trump’s threat earlier this week, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Falkland Islanders are British with a right to determine their own future.
“The islanders have expressed their wish to remain a British Overseas Territory, and our commitment to them is unwavering. Their right to self-determination is paramount.”
Milei’s hardened stance
The speech is the latest high-water mark in Milei’s increasingly strident tone regarding the archipelago.
Although he previously was always careful to support Argentina’s claim to the islands, he downplayed it, emphasising that the best way to advance the cause was through a combination of diplomacy and wooing the islanders.
That is a far cry from the “Malvinero” tactics of many other Argentine politicians, on both the left and right, who often use the islands – and the memory of those fallen in the 1982 conflict – to whip up nationalistic sentiment for political gain.
But in addition to the US President’s recent comments on the Falklands, Milei might be responding to domestic pressures.
His presidency is going through its rockiest period yet, with his approval now in the high 30s and disapproval in the low 60s, threatening his chances of being re-elected next year.
Although he is widely lauded for slashing inflation and ending Argentina’s chronic fiscal deficit, the cost has been high for ordinary Argentines. The economic recovery is underway, but it has been patchy so far and has failed to reach many of those most affected by Milei’s overhaul.
Meanwhile, he faces a challenge next year from his right, from Victoria Villarruel, his estranged Vice-President, a Falklands hardliner whose father was a commando captain in the Falklands War.
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