The United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Mike Waltz, rejected committing the Government of Donald Trump to any potential intervention in favor of the United Kingdom in the event of a military escalation over the Falkland Islands and emphasized the need to reduce tensions between Buenos Aires and London.
In this context, he particularly highlighted the relationship between the United States and Argentina under the Government of Javier Milei: “Argentina is a great friend of the United States”.
The diplomat's statement came during an exclusive interview with GB News, after an English journalist asked him if Washington would come to the aid of the United Kingdom in the event that the conflict over the islands escalated into military action.
Waltz stated that any decision for support beyond a potential search for de-escalation would fall to President Donald Trump and the White House.
“Argentina is a great friend of the United States. I believe we would seek to de-escalate before going that far. But, as for any kind of support beyond that, I will leave it to the White House and the president,” he responded.
The position expressed by Waltz places the relationship between the United States and Argentina in a prominent position compared to the historic alliance between Washington and London.
Amid the dispute over the sovereignty of the Falklands, the U.S. official made it clear that Buenos Aires is currently considered a “great friend” of Washington, while leaving any definition regarding potential military support for the United Kingdom in Trump’s hands.
Javier Milei and Donald Trump
The Falklands Dispute
The statements were made at a time of increasing diplomatic tension between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Sea Lion oil development. On Wednesday, the Foreign Office summoned the Argentine ambassador in London, Mariana Plaza, to convey its rejection of the sanctions promoted by the Milei Government.
Parliamentary Undersecretary Uma Kumaran described the recourse to international arbitration to halt the oil project as “the last attempt to undermine the rights and livelihoods of the people of the Falklands”.
The Argentine Foreign Ministry, for its part, defended the decision to resort to an international tribunal and stated that submitting the dispute to an impartial instance “is the most responsible act a state can undertake”.
In recent weeks, the Argentine Government has notified more than 180 companies linked to illegal oil activities in the islands and filed at least three criminal complaints against ten companies and their executives.
Additionally, Buenos Aires notified London of the initiation of arbitration proceedings under the Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The request includes a two-week deadline to halt the Sea Lion project before moving towards a potential lawsuit before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), based in Hamburg.
The project is located in the North Falkland Basin, about 220 kilometers north of the archipelago. Navitas Petroleum holds a 65% stake and Rockhopper Exploration the remaining 35%. Estimated reserves reach 1.7 billion barrels, with production expected to start in the first quarter of 2028.
