US President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the UK deal to hand over sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, claiming that Britain is planning to hand over the Island of Diego Garcia to Mauritius, the site of a vital US military Base. The Chagos Islands are an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean. Last year, the United Kingdom and Mauritius signed an agreement to hand sovereignty over the contested Chagos Islands, while retaining sovereignty of Diego Garcia. Terming the deal to hand over ‘extremely important land’ as an 'act of great stupidity, in a post on Truth Social, Trump noted that it is why Greenland has to be acquired. "This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out."

Source: Mint January 20, 2026 12:42 UTC