The British media outlet The Telegraph revealed today that the United States directly pressured the United Kingdom not to block the acquisition of F-16 combat aircraft by the Government of Javier Milei in Argentina
.
According to the aforementioned media, officials of the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs were instructed not to oppose the agreement “without a doubt”, despite concerns related to the sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands.
The operation allowed Argentina to receive U.S. aircraft from Denmark late last year, in what is considered a rare occurrence of Western powers authorizing the military strengthening of Buenos Aires in this context.
Falkland Islands.
The decision is more relevant considering that the United Kingdom has maintained a strict ban on exporting weapons or military components to Argentina since the
Falklands War.
Although this restriction did not formally apply to this operation, the American position was decisive in avoiding objections from London.
According to published information, three sources confirmed that the British government was pressured to allow the agreement to move forward. One of them said: “There were meetings in the United Kingdom and Great Britain was informed, without a doubt, that this would be the case with the agreement.”
President Javier Milei received the planes last December and defined them as the country's “guardian angels”, within the framework of a policy of strengthening the Armed Forces that the Government considers central to regaining strategic capacity.
During the negotiations, the United States sought to allay British objections, stating that strengthening Argentina within the Western framework was a strategic objective.
F-16.
An Argentine source close to the talks indicated that Washington presented “solid” arguments to London in private meetings, stressing that it was key to prevent the country from getting closer to nations such as China or Russia, in reference to the foreign policy
of Kirchnerist efforts.
The operation, in addition, is part of a broader strategy of the Government of Milei aimed at regaining international prominence and repositioning the claim for the Malvinas. American support, in this sense, is a concrete sign of alignment that is beginning to be translated into action
.
In parallel, it became known this Friday that the Pentagon is considering withdrawing its support for the British position on the islands as part of possible sanctions against NATO allies who did not support U.S. military actions against Iran.
In this context, the Milei Government's strategy of alignment with the United States shows clear results, with diplomatic and military advances that change the international scene.
