MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump says he reviews “every position” when asked about Falklands sovereignty

“The UK's got some problems but they'll get solved,” Trump said

US President Donald Trump replied on Monday in the Oval Office, when asked whether his government was reviewing its position of neutrality on the Falklands: “I always review every position. That's just one of many.” It is the first time he has publicly addressed the sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina, though his answer committed to nothing.

Asked next whether he wanted the government of British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to raise its defence spending pledges, he replied: “The UK's got some problems but they'll get solved.”

The remarks follow a report in The Telegraph that senior Pentagon officials are considering a review of the US stance on the archipelago as leverage to press London to meet NATO's target of 5% of gross domestic product on defence. A senior official quoted by the paper said Britain's investment plan was “a step in the right direction”, but that “a step in the right direction is not enough”, adding that in the talks “nothing is ruled out”.

The same paper points to a second motive, unrelated to defence spending. Republican figures close to Israel have argued in Washington for months that the United States should reconsider its neutrality, viewing Britain as a less reliable ally, in connection with the sanctions and trade ban Burnham's government applied to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. On Friday, Yair Netanyahu, son of the Israeli prime minister and holder of no official position, posted in Spanish on X that the islands belong to Argentina.

The US position, held for decades, is to recognise de facto British administration without taking sides on sovereignty. It has tilted once before: in 1982 Washington initially adopted a neutral stance and, after peace talks collapsed, provided Britain with military and intelligence support during the conflict, which left 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and three islanders dead.

The US ambassador in Buenos Aires, Peter Lamelas, said in mid-August that “the United States has a position of neutrality on the islands” and that “this has not changed”. Javier Milei's government has opted for “caution and prudence” and reads the episode as a strategy aimed at NATO allies rather than a formal shift in US foreign policy.

The United Kingdom has administered the archipelago since 1833 and reaffirmed this year its status as a British overseas territory. Argentina maintains a sovereignty claim. In the 2013 referendum, residents voted overwhelmingly to retain their link with the United Kingdom.