On February 5, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had “productive” talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding the UK’s transfer of the Chagos Archipelago, which hosts the British-American base of Diego Garcia, to Mauritius.
However, Trump warned that if “anyone threatens or endangers” local U.S. activities, he “retain[ed] the right to militarily secure and reinforce the American presence” on the island.
Although this statement was an improvement over Trump’s earlier description of the transfer as “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY,” it reveals his administration’s inability to break from hegemony.
Assuming ratification, the May 2025 UK-Mauritius agreement, which followed a political agreement in October 2024, would return the Chagos Archipelago in exchange for a 99-year British lease of Diego Garcia, at an annual cost of approximately US$100 million.
The agreement follows a 2019 ruling by the International Court of Justice asking London to terminate its unlawful occupation.
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