Falklands War veteran Simon Weston has said he hopes King Charles III can persuade US President Donald Trump to “back down” after reports the US might reconsider its stance on the UK’s claim to the Falkland Islands.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Weston criticised what he called Trump’s “hissy fit” over the islands’ sovereignty, saying the president’s comments made veterans’ sacrifices “feel slightly irrelevant” and were “very unstatesmanlike.” He urged Trump to “back down and calm down,” adding that islanders and former service personnel “deserve more respect.”
The remarks followed a Reuters report citing an internal Pentagon email that suggested the US was weighing options to punish NATO allies it believed had not supported it over actions against Iran. BBC News has not independently reviewed the email. The story broke three days before King Charles and Queen Camilla were due to begin a state visit to the United States.
Weston, who served with the Welsh Guards in the 1982 conflict between Britain and Argentina, warned against any escalation, saying he would not want Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, to interpret the situation as evidence that aggression “may work,” because that would only cost more lives.
Argentina has said it wants to reopen talks with the UK over the islands—referred to in Argentina as the Malvinas—but the UK has shown little appetite for negotiations. A spokesman for Sir Keir Starmer reiterated that “sovereignty rests with the UK, and the islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount.” Downing Street pointed to the islands’ 2013 referendum, in which nearly all 1,672 eligible voters chose to remain a British Overseas Territory, on a turnout above 90%.
The Falkland Islands government said it had “complete confidence in the commitment made by the UK government to uphold and defend our right of self-determination.”
A US State Department spokesperson told AFP the US position remained “one of neutrality,” acknowledging competing sovereignty claims while recognising the “de facto United Kingdom administration” of the archipelago. Milei, a political ally of Trump, posted in capital letters on social media: “The Malvinas were, are, and always will be Argentine.” His foreign affairs minister also criticised exploration and extraction of natural resources around the islands, where significant offshore oil reserves have been identified.