Why do the Falkland Islands matter to the UK and Argentina so much?

Argentina’s sovereignty claim is enshrined in its constitution, but oil production raises the economic stakes.

The Falkland Islands are a self-governing overseas United Kingdom territory known in Argentina as Las Malvinas [AFP]

A dispute between Argentina and Britain over control of the Falkland Islands has flared up again, after Argentinian President Javier Milei said the “winds of change” favour his country’s claim to the self-governing overseas United Kingdom territory.

Argentina’s presidency said in a statement on Friday that it had ordered the opening of proceedings to “investigate and penalise” 45 entities “linked to the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons” around the Falklands, which Argentines call Las Malvinas.

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list 2 of 3 Argentina’s Milei threatens sanctions over Falklands oil drilling

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The remarks followed comments from US President Donald Trump that the United States was reviewing its position on the Falkland Islands. Washington has threatened to oppose Britain’s sovereignty over the South Atlantic archipelago if it does not increase its NATO defence spending.

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting responded by asserting Britain’s “unshakeable” commitment to the Falklands. “The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British,” he said in a social media post.

Residents of the Falkland Islands have indicated they prefer to remain a part of the UK, and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the country would “resolutely uphold” their right to self-determination.

Why do the Falkland Islands matter to the UK and Argentina?

Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, located about 600km (375 miles) east of Argentina’s southernmost tip.

It ended with the surrender of Argentine troops after 74 days of fighting that killed 649 Argentines and 255 British troops.

Argentina’s sovereignty claim is enshrined in its constitution and is frequently invoked as an expression of national identity. Milei said the islands are “our future” and that Argentina needs to “recover” them as a matter of national importance.

The right-wing libertarian is preparing to seek re-election in October 2027 as his approval ratings plummet. Polls show only around 34 percent of Argentines support his drastic belt-tightening and deregulation policies.

Plans for large-scale oil production around the islands raise the economic stakes of the dispute. Milei declared that the Sea Lion deep-sea oil project, a joint UK-Israel operation, was a “clear and present danger” to the country’s claims.

Production at the field about 220km (140 miles) north of the islands is expected to begin in 2028. Argentina considers the project an illegal exploitation of resources in waters it claims as its own. “Any further advance on the Malvinas Islands will be considered a violation of our national security,” Milei said.

Rockhopper Exploration and Navitas Petroleum brushed off Milei’s threats in a joint statement on Friday, saying they would press ahead with the Sea Lion plan under licences granted by the Falkland Islands government and backed by Britain.

How is the US playing into the dispute?

The United States has signalled it may change its long-held position on the future of the Falklands. For decades, successive US administrations have remained neutral on the competing claims while recognising Britain’s de facto administration of the islands.

A departure from that position risks inflaming already high transatlantic tensions between Washington and its NATO allies.

Milei said the US was considering a change in position because it sees Argentina as a “reliable partner, aligned with Western values, in a strategically important position that can be a valuable ally in the decades to come”.

The Argentinian leader is a regular feature at conservative pro-Trump political gatherings in the US, and Trump has previously described the far-right populist leader as his “favourite president”.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Britain over its stance on the US-Israel war on Iran, accusing it of not assisting Washington in the fight against Tehran and of failing to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America programme at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, said hints of a change to US neutrality in the dispute over the Falklands were clearly designed to needle British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Despite the good relationship between Trump and Milei, any resolution of the Falklands dispute still depends on persuading the UK. “Any settlement of this long-standing dispute will surely involve negotiations,” Gedan said. “And that means persuading the British, not the Americans.”

阿根廷的主权主张写入了其宪法，但石油生产提高了经济风险。

福克兰群岛是英国的海外自治领土，在阿根廷被称为拉斯马尔维纳斯群岛。[法新社]

阿根廷总统哈维尔·米莱表示，“变革之风”有利于阿根廷对这个英国海外自治领土的主权声索，此后阿根廷和英国之间关于福克兰群岛控制权的争端再次爆发。

阿根廷总统府周五发表声明称，已下令启动程序，对与福克兰群岛（阿根廷人称之为马尔维纳斯群岛）周边“油气勘探和开采”有关的 45 个实体进行“调查和处罚”。

列表 1/3：以色列总理之子亚伊尔·内塔尼亚胡因福克兰群岛问题激怒英国右翼。

阿根廷总理米莱威胁就福克兰群岛石油钻探实施制裁（共3条，此为第2条）

阿根廷总理米莱威胁要实施制裁，同时将注意力重新集中在福克兰群岛问题上（共3条，此为第3条）。

此前，美国总统特朗普表示，美国正在重新审视其在福克兰群岛问题上的立场。华盛顿威胁称，如果英国不增加北约国防开支，美国将反对英国对这片南大西洋群岛的主权。

英国国防大臣韦斯·斯特里廷回应称，英国对福克兰群岛的承诺“坚定不移”。他在社交媒体上发文表示：“福克兰群岛是英国的，因为福克兰群岛人民选择成为英国人。”

福克兰群岛居民表示他们更愿意留在英国，英国外交大臣埃德·米利班德表示，英国将“坚决维护”他们的自决权。

为什么福克兰群岛对英国和阿根廷如此重要？

1982 年，英国和阿根廷为争夺南大西洋岛屿爆发了一场持续 10 周的战争，这些岛屿位于阿根廷最南端以东约 600 公里（375 英里）处。

经过 74 天的战斗，阿根廷军队最终投降，战斗造成 649 名阿根廷人和 255 名英国士兵死亡。

阿根廷对这些岛屿的主权主张写入了其宪法，并经常被援引以表达国家认同。米莱表示，这些岛屿是“我们的未来”，阿根廷需要“收回”它们，这关乎国家利益。

这位右翼自由主义者正准备在2027年10月寻求连任，但他的支持率却大幅下滑。民调显示，只有约34%的阿根廷人支持他激进的紧缩政策和放松管制政策。

在这些岛屿周围进行大规模石油开采的计划，加剧了这场争端的经济利害关系。米莱宣称，英国和以色列联合开展的“海狮”深海石油项目，对以色列的主权声索构成了“迫在眉睫的威胁”。

该油田位于马尔维纳斯群岛以北约220公里（140英里）处，预计将于2028年开始投产。阿根廷认为该项目是对其声称拥有主权的水域进行非法资源开发。“在马尔维纳斯群岛的任何进一步推进都将被视为对我国国家安全的侵犯，”米莱伊表示。

Rockhopper Exploration 和 Navitas Petroleum 周五发表联合声明，对 Milei 的威胁不予理睬，称他们将继续推进 Sea Lion 计划，该计划已获得福克兰群岛政府颁发的许可证，并得到了英国的支持。

美国在这场争端中扮演着怎样的角色？

美国已发出信号，可能改变其长期以来在福克兰群岛问题上的立场。几十年来，历届美国政府在各方主权声索问题上保持中立，同时承认英国对这些岛屿的实际管辖权。

背离这一立场可能会加剧华盛顿与其北约盟国之间本已高度紧张的跨大西洋关系。

米莱表示，美国正在考虑改变立场，因为它认为阿根廷是“一个可靠的伙伴，与西方价值观一致，处于重要的战略位置，在未来几十年可以成为一个宝贵的盟友”。

这位阿根廷领导人经常出现在美国保守派亲特朗普的政治集会上，而特朗普此前曾将这位极右翼民粹主义领导人描述为他“最喜欢的总统”。

特朗普曾多次批评英国在美以对伊朗战争中的立场，指责英国没有协助华盛顿打击德黑兰，也没有帮助美国重新开放霍尔木兹海峡。

华盛顿特区史汀生中心拉丁美洲项目主任本杰明·格丹表示，有关美国在福克兰群岛争端中改变中立立场的暗示，显然是为了激怒英国首相安迪·伯纳姆。

尽管特朗普和米莱关系良好，但福克兰群岛争端的任何解决仍然取决于能否说服英国。“任何解决这一长期争端的方案都必然需要谈判，”格丹说，“这意味着要说服英国人，而不是美国人。”