Trump accepts UK deal on Indian Ocean islands with key military base

(Patria) - President Donald Trump has dropped his opposition to a deal under which the United Kingdom returned an archipelago in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, which hosts a key US-UK military base, AFP reported.

However, after talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump warned in a post on the social network Truth Social that he reserves the right to "secure and reinforce" the US presence on the island of Diego Garcia, where the base is located, if the deal with the United Kingdom is annulled or the US presence is threatened.

Under the agreement reached in May last year, the UK will return the Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia, to Mauritius, but will retain the base, jointly operated by US and British forces, on a ninety-nine-year lease.

Trump initially supported this agreement, but changed his mind last month.

"The UK giving away extremely important territory is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY and another in a very long list of national security reasons why Greenland must be purchased," Trump said on January 20.

On Thursday, Trump said Starmer had struck "the best deal he could make" on the Chagos Islands, which have been at the center of a decades-long diplomatic battle.

Trump said: "However, if the lease, at some point in the future, ever falls apart or someone threatens US operations and forces at our base, I reserve the right to militarily secure and reinforce the US presence in Diego Garcia."

In their conversation on Thursday, Starmer and Trump agreed to cooperate "closely" on the implementation of the agreement on the Chagos Islands, the British leader's office announced.